Victoria Kim and Coach Lorback

On October 20th, one of East’s own won the PIAA Class AAA Girls’ State Golf Championship. Victoria Kim, a junior, competed against 25 other girls at Heritage Hills Golf Course and came out on top. Victoria has been playing golf for about six years and enjoys the support of her parents and personal coach, John Dunigan. In 2018 and 2019, she won the Ches-Mont Tournament title. Last year, she went to the PIAA state championships and won second place after a three-way playoff. Victoria was also given the title Daily Local News Golfer of the Year in 2019. She now adds state golf champion to her list of accomplishments.

Early on in the championships, Michelle Cox, a senior from Emmaus High School, emerged as the leader. Victoria, however, was able to turn the championship around when she made a birdie (one stroke under the par four hole) on the final hole. This tied the game and forced a playoff, creating a situation similar to the three-way playoff she faced in last year’s championship. During the playoff, Victoria managed to make another birdie, leading to the defeat of her opponent. On the topic of Victoria’s championship win, Mr. Lorback, East’s golf coach, said, “The Viking Family can be very proud of the performance of Victoria Kim, not just on that Tuesday October 20th but for how she has represented East for the last three years. She displays incredible poise and conducts herself in a way that exemplifies the values the game of golf hopes to reflect. Winning an individual or team state championship is such a difficult goal to attain, but Victoria Kim proved herself worthy to be the girls high school state golf champion.” It’s clear that Victoria’s hard work over her golfing career has paid off. We look forward to what she will accomplish in the future.

The Norse Code first interviewed Victoria when she was a freshman. In 2018, she became the first golfer from East to win a district championship in over a decade. Her score at the Regional Championship that year qualified her for the state tournament, where she earned 11th place. When asked about where she saw herself senior year, she responded, “I have accomplished a lot as a freshman golfer in high school, but for the future I see myself winning states at least once. Although it was a great achievement being able to qualify for states and even rank first or second in all of the qualifying tournaments, I know that I have the ability to win one day.” Now that she’s achieved this goal, the Norse Code thought it was well worth interviewing her again:

What does this win mean to you?

“This win means a lot to me because last year I was so close and fell short. It feels great to finally have something that I was so close to achieving. Winning states also shows that all the hours that I spent practicing really paid off.”

How did you feel when you knew you had won?

“I was definitely relieved once I realized I won. Last year I had to play in three playoff holes, so after just playing one I was glad that it was over.”

What comes next?

“For now I am just continuing to practice and work on my game. My personal season is over so I will be training for next Spring.”

Has the pandemic impacted playing golf for you? How?

“The pandemic actually benefited my game greatly because it helped me focus on the weaker aspects of it without the pressure of performing.”

Do you plan to pursue golf after high school?

“After high school, I plan on playing golf in college. I have not committed anywhere yet, but hopefully, it will happen soon.”

Thank you to Mr. Lorback and Victoria for their help in writing this article!