The Tourney, by Cole Parker

[Merkin]

This is a wonderful story, written by a master.  As soon as I finished reading it, I read it all again.  Although I know nothing about the game of golf I do know about determination and commitment and purity of the heart, and this story has all that.  I am so glad it is here for us on  Awesome Dude.  It deserves also to be in some major print publication.

[Cole Parker]

Thanks, James.  What kind sentiments.  I appreciate that!

 

c

[Oliver]

By almost only talking about how he works on his skills to get better in the game, you feel, and know, how Adam works to make his circumstances better.

It's a story where you just know for sure that he will have a wonderfull life ahead. 

With Freddy, i hope. 🙂 

 

Thank you Cole, for another great read!

[Cole Parker]

Thanks, Oliver.  I hope they get on, too.  (I'm fairly confident they will!)

 

C

[Altimexis]

Merkin pretty much took the words right out of my mouth… or fingers anyway. I too could care less about golf, but as seen through Adam’s experience, the sport comes alive. The first time I read the story through, I thought of Adam as being black, but then I went back  and reread the story immediately and since he referred to the family that took him in as black, it’s obvious he isn’t. Talk about stereotypical thinking! In any case, I loved the way Cole took us inside Adam’s head, with his innate intelligence and remarkable resilience. This was storytelling at its best.

I’m not sure if either boy is ready for a long-term relationship just yet, but given the trouble Freddie went to to be Adam’s roommate, even choosing his university to be with him, I certainly think Freddie has forever in mind. From his comments, it’s obvious he’s put a lot of effort into researching Adam’s background - evidently more than what was in the newspapers. He may have developed a crush during the championship game, but it’s obviously become more of an obsession since then. Hopefully a healthy one. I’d love to get to know Freddie a bit better and would love to see a story based on his backstory (hint, hint).

I’m curious about what and where this university is located. At first I thought Cole might be using U.C. Davis as his model, but Davis has an undergraduate enrollment of nearly 32k. Not many states are large enough to support five public universities that all have decent golf programs, and not many public universities are so highly regarded, particularly with the restriction of being located in a suburb of the state capital. I mean, SUNY Stony Brook is renowned and it’s in the right size range but it’s on Long Island. SUNY Albany is in a suburb of the state capitol, but it isn’t as large and it doesn’t exactly have the same reputation. Ohio State is way too large, as is the University of Illinois, which is near the state capitol but not exactly in a suburb of it. University of Wisconsin and Michigan State are too big.  So’s Georgia Tech and Texas A&M, which has nearly 60k students - yikes! The University of Kentucky might work - it’s exactly the right size, although the setting’s more urban than suburban. Hmm…

Anyway, this was definitely one of Cole’s best not-so-short stories.

[Cole Parker]

Thanks, Steve.  Much appreciated.  That's not a bad idea, letting Freddy's backstory evolve.  I'm sort of burned out writing at the moment, but that will probably pass.  That's certainly something to think about.

As to where the college is located, your analysis may have come up just a bit short:

 

Colleges Located in or around State Capitals

 

State	Capital	Colleges
Alabama	Montgomery	Alabama State University, Amridge U, Auburn U- Montgomery, Faulkner U, Huntingdon Coll, Troy U- Montgomery
Alaska	Juneau	University of Alaska-Southeast
Arizona	Phoenix	ASU - Phoenix Campus, Grand Canyon U
Arkansas	Little Rock	Arkansas Baptist Coll, Philander Smith Coll, U of Arkansas- Little Rock, U of Central Arkansas, Hendrix College
California	Sacramento	Cal State U- Sacramento, UC-Davis
Colorado	Denver	University of Denver, University of Colorado-Denver, Regis U, Johnson & Wales U, Colorado Heights U, Art Inst of Colorado
Connecticut	Hartford	St. Joseph College, University of Hartford, Trinity College
Delaware	Dover	Delaware State U, Wesley College
Florida	Tallahassee	Florida A&M U, Florida State U
Georgia	Atlanta	American Intercontinental U, Art Institute of Atlanta, Beulah Heights U, Clark Atlanta U, Emory, Georgia Tech, Georgia St. U, Morehouse Coll, Morris Brown Coll, Oglethorpe U, Spellman Coll
Hawaii	Honolulu	Chaminade U, Hawaii Pacific University, University of Hawaii-Manoa
Idaho	Boise	Boise State U, College of Idaho
Illinois	Springfield	University of IL- Springfield, St. John's College of Nursing
Indiana	Indianapolis	Butler U, IUPUI, Marian U, Martin U, U of Indianapolis
Iowa	Des Moines	Drake U, Grand View U
Kansas	Topeka	Washburn U
Kentucky	Frankfort	Kentucky St. U, Georgetown College
Louisiana	Baton Rouge	LSU- Baton Rouge, Southern U and A&M College
Maine	Augusta	University of Maine- Augusta
Maryland	Annapolis	St. John's College, US Naval Academy
Maryland	DC	American U, Catholic U, George Washington U, Georgetown, Howard U, Trinity Washington U, U of the Potomac
Massachusetts	Boston	Berklee College of Music, Boston Conservatory, Boston U, Emerson College, Emmanual College, Fisher College, Mass College of Art & Design, Mass College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, New England Conservatory of Music, Northeastern U, Simmons College, Suffolk College, UMass-Boston, Wentworth Inst of Tech, Wheelock Coll
Michigan	Lansing	Michigan State University (East Lansing)
Minnesota	Saint Paul	Bethel U, Concordia U- St. Paul, Hamline U, Macalester Coll, St. Catherine U, U of St. Thomas
Mississippi	Jackson	Belhaven Coll, Jackson St. U, Milsaps College, Univ of Mississippi Medical Center
Missouri	Jefferson City	Lincoln U
Montana	Helena	Carroll College
Nebraska	Lincoln	University of Nebraska - Lincoln, Union College, Nebraska Wesleyan U
Nevada	Carson City	Sierra Nevada College
New Hampshire	Concord	Granite State College
New Jersey	Trenton	Thomas Edison St. University, Rider University, College of New Jersey
New Mexico	Santa Fe	St. John's College, Santa Fe U of Art & Design
New York	Albany	SUNY-Albany, Excelsior College, The Coll of St. Rose, Albany College of Pharmacy
North Carolina	Raleigh	UNC Chapel Hill, Duke U, North Carolina Central U
North Dakota	Bismarck	University of Mary
Ohio	Columbus	Ohio State U, Ohio Domincan U, Franklin U, Columbus Coll of Art & Design, Capital U
Oklahoma	Oklahoma City	Randall U, Mid-American Christian U, Oklahoma Christian U, Oklahoma City U
Oregon	Salem	Willamette U, Corban U
Pennsylvania	Harrisburg	Penn State - Harrisburg, Central Penn College, Dickinson College
Rhode Island	Providence	Brown U, Johnson & Wales, Providence Coll, Rhode Island Coll, Rhode Island School of Design
South Carolina	Columbia	University of South Carolina, Columbia College, Benedict Coll, Allen U
South Dakota	Pierre	n/a
Tennessee	Nashville	Vanderbilt, Tennessee State U, Lipscomb U, Fisk U, Belmont U, Aquinas Coll, American Baptist Coll
Texas	Austin	UT-Austin, St. Edward's U, Concordia U, Southwestern U
Utah	Salt Lake City	U of Utah, Westminster Coll
Vermont	Montpelier	Norwich U
Virginia	Richmond	University of Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth U, Virginia Union U, Randolph-Macon Coll
Washington	Olympia	Evergreen State College
West Virginia	Charleston	U of Charleston, West Virginia St U, West Virginia, U of Inst of Tech
Wisconsin	Madison	University of Wisconsin- Madison, Edgewood College
Wyoming	Cheyenne	n/a

 

How many of these have golf teams?  I have no idea.

[Altimexis]

That’s quite a list, Cole, but you specified in the story that it was one of five state universities that participated in the U-18 scholarship program. Your list would be considerably shorter if you list only the state universities. Perhaps 90% shorter. Further, you state that it’s prestigious and is considered to have one of the top five golf programs in the U.S. The coach is an ex-pro and there are six graduates currently on tour in the PGA.

So you have a state university in a large enough state to have five state universities with golf programs. It’s prestigious enough to be well-known, if not one of the public ivys and when it comes to golf, it’s among the best of the best. It’s moderate in size (22k undergrads) and in a suburb of a state capital city. You didn’t allow much wiggle room, but then this is fiction, after all. That said, UNC Chapel Hill is a near-perfect match!

[Cole Parker]

Very good!  You got it!

 

C

[Camy]

Once more my hat is doffed...

[Cole Parker]

Thanks, Camy.

After all, you chaps invented the game.

C

[Rutabaga]

Finally got an opportunity to read this story.  

I had a brief brush with golf a number of years ago, and even took some lessons, but never got to be good enough to enjoy it.  But I learned enough to be able to follow the technical talk in the story.

I was fascinated by the last green seeming to be sloped when it was actually flat.  Putting was the only thing I could do even half-decently, and no doubt that green would have been a challenge for me.  Or perhaps not, since I knew so little I might not have proceeded with calculations based on the appearance of a slope that a more experienced golfer might have performed.  Who knows?  As for driving, I could throw the ball much further than I could make it go with a club. I was useless with a driver or wood.

Fun story.  And now I see there's another one posted.  Not sure when I can get to that one!!

R