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Sports
BACK IN THE SWING
Sophomore rebounds from surgery to place first in districts
MCKENNA SLAUGHTER /
STAFF WRITER
Sophomore Lila Iwanowski
steps onto the golf course,
takes a deep breath and
swings. She is less than four
months out of a wheelchair,
the shot is good enough
for first place in last month’s
women’s golf Cape Coast
Conference tournament.
“This is actually the first
tournament I’ve won for [an]
18-hole [course],” she said. “It
wasn’t my best game, but it
was still really cool to win. I
keep having to remind myself
that winning CCC is a big
accomplishment. It’s hard
because it feels like I could
have done better, but I’m still
proud of myself for winning
overall.”
The girls' golf team achieved
second place against 16
teams made up of three to
five girls each. To win overall,
Iwanowski had to out-play
every individual.
“This is the first time
that I’ve coached an overall
winner,” Coach Jenny Pazderak
said. “I started coaching for
Lila in seventh grade when she
arrived at West Shore, and she’s
always worked really hard. Her
drive to succeed is incredible,
and it shows in the way she
plays. She wants to be the best in everything that she does. She
has the skill, and the mindset, and when those two things line up,
she’s basically unbeatable.”
But that drive to excel hasn’t been easy for Iwanowski, who was
diagnosed with hip dysplasia, a condition which causes the hip
to frequently and painfully dislocate, in December 2019. She had
surgery in February which kept her off the golf course until July.
“My recovery was tough,” Iwanowski said. “Everybody knows
about the time I spent in the wheelchair, and with the walker,
PHOTO / DEAN STEWART
Lila Iwanowski shot an 81 at the 1A-7 District golf championship.
but after that was tough. I did
my own [physical therapy]
because of the pandemic, and
it took me a really long time to
get back to a full swing. That
was super-frustrating for me.”
In addition to golf,
Iwanowski holds a black
belt in Taekwondo. She also
participates in HOSA (Future
Health Professionals), drone
team, is dual enrolled at
Eastern Florida State College
and maintains a 4.0 gradepoint
average.
“She’s absolutely incredible,”
sophomore Aidan Meyers
said. “She manages to do so
much, and is still such an
incredible friend and person.
She’s so kind, and she doesn’t
judge or make assumptions
about people. She’s really
understanding. I think it’s
kind of unfair that anyone
could be so talented and such
a genuinely kind person all at
once.”
Those personal traits carry
over into sports for Iwanowski.
“She’s a real team player,”
Pazderak said. “She’s always
trying to lend a hand to her
teammates, and she’s a really
good leader. It’s never meanspirited.
She just wants to see
everyone around her do really
well. I think that’s part of what
makes her so special to this
team.”
Meyers said he’s excited to see what she accomplishes next.
“I’m really proud of her,” he said. “I think her growth has been
incredible, and it’s so inspiring to see someone like her do really
well. She’s worked her way back up from being unable to walk,
you know? She’s so humble about it. She always thinks she could
have done better, but I really think she’s doing something special
this season. I think it’s only a matter of time until she goes on to
do even more spectacular things.”
16 I NOVEMBER 2020