by John Shearer
posted October 30, 2002
Baylor School 11th-grader Beth Felts has become the Babe Zaharias of local girls’ high school sports.
A couple of weeks ago, she finished in fourth place individually in the Division II girls’ state high school golf tournament and helped lead Coach King Oehmig’s Lady Red Raiders to their eighth state tournament championship in a row. And then last Friday, the outside midfielder and forward was named the tournament MVP as Coach Jimmy Weekley’s Baylor soccer team won its third state championship in the last four years.
She also was the individual state golf champion in 2001 and Women’s City Amateur golf champion that summer, and she has been a valuable contributor to the Baylor soccer team for several years.
“It’s very rare now to see a kid doing two sports in one season because everyone wants to specialize,” said Coach Weekley, who pulls some double duty himself as both the boys’ and girls’ soccer coach. “We have had kids in the past who have done cross country and soccer, and those sports became taxing. But with golf and soccer, they go hand in hand. When she goes to a golf match, she is not going to get fatigued.”
Miss Felts, the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Charles Felts and the granddaughter of former University of Chattanooga athlete Dr. Frank Trundle Sr., began playing soccer at age four or five and golf at about age seven and admits to loving both sports.
In fact, about the only aspect of the two sports she does not like is trying to figure out which one she likes the most. “They are completely different,” the amicable student said. “Soccer keeps me in great shape for golf and that give me the edge over someone when I am having to walk in a tournament three days in a row. And golf gives me a mental edge because I have to focus and concentrate on each shot and it carries over to soccer.
“They are hard to compare,” she continued. “Soccer is fun because a lot of my friends play, but hopefully I will be able to play golf in college.”
This year, as a junior, Miss Felts found herself in more of a leadership position in both sports. In golf, until this year she had played behind current Vanderbilt golfer May Wood, who, many observers feel, is headed for the pro golf tour. “May is incredible,” Miss Felts said. “I have never played with a girl golfer with her game. Her distance is amazing. It just comes natural for her.”
After Miss Wood was injured last fall, Miss Felts stepped forward and won the individual state title. And in soccer this fall, she grew into a leadership position on a team that had graduated eight seniors from the year before and had none returning.
“Last year I was on the younger half of the team,” she said. “But we all had to set an example because we didn’t have any seniors.”
Coach Weekley said she did set quite an example. “She just gives us that instant added punch up front with her speed and work ethic,” he said. “We played six games without her because of golf conflicts and we were definitely a different team without her than with her.”
Because the two sports do have some conflicts, Miss Felts sits down at the first of the year and figures out her schedule for both sports with the two coaches, she said.
During the rest of the year, she also stays pretty busy with both sports. She practices golf regularly at the Chattanooga Golf and Country Club and tries to play in an individual golf tournament every week in June and July. And she also plays on a youth soccer club, the Middle Valley Magic, in the late fall and spring. Practice for it, by the way, starts this Saturday.
But that is just fine for this athlete who enjoys two sports that require using one’s head.
“I like to keep doing stuff because I get bored,” she said.
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