WEST WINDSOR: Golf all in the family for Pasternick

North junior sees future in sport

By Michael Stern, Special Writer
   When your mother is the high school golf coach at Hightstown High, there is some potential pressure to do well in every match.
   This is the case with Christie Pasternick of West Windsor-Plainsboro High North, but she doesn’t really feel the pressure.
   ”My mom is there if I ask for advice,” Pasternick said. “She knows if I need help I will come to her. This past offseason I had Shareen Lai to help me out and there were some times I wanted my mom’s advice too, then she would help me.”
   Pasternick remembers her earliest lessons with her mother.
   ”I was really only in it for the golf cart rides,” explained Pasternick, a junior at North. “My mom never really pressures me to do something until I’m ready so when I entered high school I was ready to play seriously.”
   The younger Pasternick has exceeded her expectations that she set this past winter.
   ”I figured I would be shooting lower than I have been in my career,” Pasternick said. “I have been working all winter trying to improve my game so that I could help out the team, but I had no idea I would be shooting as well as I am now.”
   The success Pasternick was referring to was when she shot a 40 against Old Bridge on April 4, which was her career low. Most recently she shot a 45 against East Brunswick last Wednesday.
   When Pasternick hit her career best against Old Bridge she was doing great until the ninth and final hole. She hit her second shot into the woods separating the ninth and tenth holes. When she tried to recover from this on her third shot she struck a tree. She ended up getting a bogey on the hole which is why she was not expecting the score she received.
   ”After the ninth hole I was feeling a little down,” recalled Pasternick. “So when I went to total up my scores I was shocked that I hit a 40. After that I was feeling really great that I helped my team the best way I could.”
   Pasternick has a specific way she approaches each hole in order to hit the best shot she can at every opportunity.
   ”I try to forget the previous hole. I take a few deep breaths and focus on the shot that I need to hit,” Pasternick explained. “If I just shot a bad shot I may stomp my feet to get the anger out so I can calm down and do the best I can.”
   In order for Pasternick to succeed in the regular season she trains vigorously in the winter.
   ”I train by myself normally. I spend 20 hours a week over at Mercer County Golf Academy,” says Pasternick. “I did some practice sessions with my trainer, Shareen Lai, in the simulator. As soon as I could, I went out to the golf course and practiced over and over again.”
   She actually considers Lai to be her second coach. After all the time she has spent training with her she really looks up to her.
   ”Shareen always tries as hard as she can when it comes to golf,” Pasternick said. “She just doesn’t stop going for what she wants. Her toughness has just kind of inspired me in life.”
   Pasternick believes golf is a great sport to help guide her through life.
   ”I apply golf to all aspects of my life,” Pasternick said. “When I first started playing golf I really learned manners. Also, it teaches you to not dwell on the bad things. When you hit a bad shot you need to forget about it and move on. It’s the same thing in life. If something bad happens you just need to move on.”
   The team is always there to help her get through her bad experiences. There are times when she just does not have a good day and has the team to fall back on.
   ”I remember last year I shot a 62 on the first match of the season,” Pasternick said. “The team really came together and comforted me when I really was feeling bad about scoring that high to start off the year.
   When she is on her game she can do great. Pasternick recalls one tournament when she competed against some tough competition.
   ”My proudest moment in my golf career must be when I was in a golf tournament over the summer,” she recalled. “I was the only girl playing against a bunch of guys who I thought were better than me. When the match was over I actually tied the boy I was playing with and ended up coming in fourth for the tournament.”
   Pasternick just wants to keep the accomplishments coming. She has two underlying goals in mind for the future.
   ”For my high school career, I want to get to states,” she said. “I think this year is our best chance to get there and I just want to do my best for the team so we can achieve that.
   ”I also want to get my scores down low enough so that I can go to any college I want. I really would like to play golf in the future and if I can go to the college of my choice that would be great.”
   Christie Pasternick has come a long way from when she first started taking lessons with her mom when she was 8 years old. Even if she was only in it for the golf cart rides, she has had many years to practice and get to the level of success where she is now.
   It is anybody’s guess where she will end up but one thing is for certain, she only has good things to come.