FUN IS PAR

Bremerton High golfer Emily Crawford, or “E-dog” as her friends call her, regularly goofs around at practice without a care in the world, but still maintains the No. 1 position on the team.

It’s a mixture of hard work and a sense of humor that makes Crawford, a senior, a student athlete ahead of the game.

“She calls me Tigress Woods,” said teammate Ashley Olwell, a sophomore. “I’m a first-year player and she always encourages me.”

Her easy-going nature has helped her team gel this year, said Bremerton coach Jeff Streck.

“They’ve been a tight-knit bunch on the course,” he said. “She clowns around a bit, but I think it is indicative of all the girls on the team.”

Crawford, 17, maintains a 3.5 grade-point average and also plays the melophone in the school band.

“She’s the loudest person in the hallway,” said her friend and the only other senior on the Knights golf squad, Briana Shardelman.

Around town, Crawford sticks out in her well-beaten 1972 Buick Skylark, a loner from her brother.

“We call it ‘The Classic,’ ” said teammate Aneshia Savard, a junior.

Another teammate, Ashley Olwell, added a little more flavor to the discussion.

“We pull up to the stop sign and do burnouts,” she said.

It’s got a black hood and a spots of red and rust coloring around the body.

Crawford has plans to eventually paint it black.

The conversation turns to a more serious nature when Crawford discusses the girls golf team.

“We’re the Bremerton girls golf cheerleaders because no one comes out and supports us,” she said.

This year the team has 13 girls, almost double that of last year’s squad. Crawford actually started her high school golf career playing with the boys because the girls squad wasn’t created until her sophomore year.

“It was kind of intimidating, but some of them were kind of nice about it,” she said.

Crawford started playing golf as a 7-year-old. She likes challenging herself to be a better player.

Streck said she has gotten much stronger since she began playing for the Knights.

“You can see the difference in strength,” he said. “She used to have to work hard to produce strength in her swing.”

Once Crawford gets to the green, she uses less strokes to get it in the cup.

“The main part of her game that has improved is her short game,” he said.

Despite Crawford’s presence, the Knights have a 2-6 record and are 0-5 in the Narrows League Bridge Division.

Crawford shoots in the low 40s on a 9-hole course at their home turf, Gold Mountain. She said the course is good practice for the girls because it teaches them to brave the elements.

Braving the weather doesn’t bother Crawford — she just keeps smiling.

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