GIRLS’ GOLF: Horn swings for stage

As a senior co-captain of the Newport Harbor High girls’ golf team, Kendall Horn feels perfectly comfortable in spikes and a collared shirt, sitting on a dingy activity bus deemed “White Lightning,” headed for a match with her teammates.

But when she’s in a $5000 dress, complete with a corset and a hoop skirt, Horn is at home.

Horn is an actress and student with the South Coast Repertory. She started attending classes at the Repertory as an eighth grader, and continued until last year, when she took a break to focus on school and golf. This year, she’s part of the repertory’s Teen Players, which accepts only about 15-17 percent of the students who audition for it.

Horn proudly recalled her first paying gig as an actress: she earned $100 to play three small parts in the repertory’s production of “A Christmas Carol, and it made no difference to her that her wardrobe was worth more than her paycheck.

“It was fabulous,” Horn said breathlessly.

Horn has been in other productions, including a small version of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” (she played Puck) which proved invaluable when it was time to read “Macbeth” for school.

“It saved my life,” she said. “We had to review the script so thoroughly. It really helped me get a huge grasp on Shakespearean language and it was a huge help.”

While Horn has dedicated quite a bit of her focus to acting — she hopes to study at USC’s theater program — she’s also found that golf plays an important, if somewhat upstaged, role in her life.

“It’s more exhilarating,” Horn said of acting. “You get to go out there and nail your lines, and if you don’t, then you have to hope that someone picks up your slack, which is what’s so exciting about live theater. I haven’t screwed up yet.”

Newport Harbor is 4-1 so far, and will begin Sunset League play today against Esperanza at Yorba Linda Country Club. The Sailors ended last season in second place with a 7-3 league record.

“We’re definitely improving,” Sailors Coach Scott Tarnow said. “There’s a lot of depth with our girls. They know that they can play better.”

Sophomore Lauren Draganza, who has been medalist in most matches this season, is another standout. Junior co-captain Tiffany Kim, Ali Thomas, Morgan Moody, and Ali Grace should also contribute.

Here’s a brief look at other area programs.

Corona del Mar: The Sea Kings started out 0-3, with losses to Newport Harbor and Dana Hills, but that doesn’t have Coach Mike Starkweather too concerned.

It seemed odd for Starkweather to be so nonchalant — he lost five of seven starters from last year’s team that went 17-1. CdM finished undefeated in the Pacific Coast League.

This year, the team of has just one senior and two juniors; the rest are freshmen and sophomores.

“We’re rebuilding,” Starkweather said. “You’ve got to be able to field the athletes in order to be competitive. I think we’ll be competitive when we start our league play.”

Costa Mesa: Instead of dragging his team of intrepid learners to a bunch of matches before league begins, Costa Mesa Coach Tom Baldwin opted for a different strategy.

The Mustangs will play their first competitive match of the year today, having only played in practice matches to this point.

“It’s a young team and I didn’t want the kids to go out and play a bunch of people and be embarrassed, so we haven’t played a match yet,” Baldwin said.

He coaches at a school that isn’t really golf-centric, and compared to other area high schools, namely Newport Harbor and CdM, Costa Mesa doesn’t have nearly as many students with parents who are interested in golf.

Newport and CdM students are more likely to have taken golf lessons at their parents’ country club since they were small children, Baldwin said.

Tryouts at the two schools may attract as many as 40 students, while this year, Baldwin said, Costa Mesa had three.

His athletes usually haven’t picked up a club before they entered high school. Costa Mesa has six returning players, including sisters Cayley and Christy Camarillo. Kelly Harada and Taylor Whalen are both new.

The Mustangs finished last season 4-8, and will open the ? season today against Laguna Beach at Mesa Linda Country Club.

Estancia: With a 3-0 start, Coach Art Perry is hoping Estancia can create the same sort of magic it had last season by finishing undefeated.

The Eagles lost five starters from last season, who were all seniors, but Taylor West is back, and the team has one freshman, Ashley Peters, and a junior, Jackie Crosson. The rest of the girls are sophomores.

“She’s a really fine athlete and a real good golfer,” Perry said.

The team played seven matches this summer in preparation for the season.

“That really helped us,” Perry said. “We’re further along than most teams are.”

He’s happy with the team’s driving ability, and now wants to hone in on putting and chipping.

Estancia opens league play against Westminster at David Baker Country Club, and will play Ocean View Thursday at Costa Mesa Country Club.

The Eagles have an 18-hole match scheduled against Pahrump High of Nevada for Oct. 8 at Costa Mesa, but Perry has his eye on Laguna Beach.

Estancia will play the Breakers in San Clemente Sept. 26.

“If we can beat them there, we have a good chance of being league champion,” Perry said.

Sage Hill: After playing Capistrano Valley Christian at Pacific Golf & Country Club in San Clemente Monday, Coach Mike Hogan’s legs were screaming.

The Sage Hill players fared the same.

After an afternoon of traipsing up and down the sides of some very steep hills, they were all ready to soak their calves in ice water.

The girls beat Capistrano Valley Christian, 284-349.

The Lightning finished second in the Academy League last year behind St. Margaret’s with a 10-3 record, and lost only one starter.

This year’s team has six returners, but just one of them is a senior.

SORAYA NADIA MCDONALD may be reached at (714) 966-4613 or at [email protected].