KESHENA/GRESHAM, WI – The Menominee Nation/Gresham co-op golf team is making history this spring and head coach Robert Burr says the program has been quietly building toward this moment for years.
On May 5, the co-op earned what may be its first-ever conference victory, taking first place at a CWC meet and turning heads in the process. Burr said he did some research before calling it a milestone.
“I’ve been asking people in the community and former coaches if we’ve ever won before, and they don’t remember winning,” Burr said. “So I can’t say for sure, but this might be our first conference win ever.”
The victory didn’t come out of nowhere. The co-op had taken second, then third in its previous two conference meets this spring before breaking through for first. With four conference meets per year counting toward all-conference honors and team rankings, Burr said the team has been dialing in its focus when it matters most.
“We put a little more effort into those conference meets,” he said. “We’re up in the rankings and it feels good.”
The co-op partnership between Menominee Nation and Gresham has been in place for roughly six to eight years, born out of declining numbers at both schools. Burr said the arrangement has been a natural fit.
“Numbers were getting low for both schools, and combining them made sense for us,” he said. “Different ability levels, different coaching styles, different personalities, I don’t think there’s much conflict. We use the same facility at Pine Hills, so we both get out there together.”
Practices are brief by necessity, the team has to wrap up by five o’clock to make late buses, but Burr said the culture the players have built more than makes up for the limited time on the course.
“Almost every tournament we get out of, we drive home and the kids kind of lick the wounds on some of the holes they screwed up on and they kind of laugh,” Burr said. “And then before we get back to school, they’ve already got a plan to go back out to the golf course and practice. Not too many athletes get done with a meet or a tournament or a game and then go right back to practice. But these guys do, and it’s paying off.”
Much of that culture traces back to senior Anik Corn, who Burr credits with helping revive the program.
“Anik came up to me as a sophomore and said he wanted to come out for golf,” Burr said. “I said sure, just practice over the summer. He kept me up to date on his scores through the summer and into the fall and I couldn’t believe it, I kind of didn’t believe his scores being new to golf. As other people saw him excelling, he got other friends and people in the school excited about golf, so other kids started coming out. Anik has been our team leader for a couple of years now and a big part of getting this program back to where it is.”
Senior Kenew Awonohopay has also been a key contributor alongside Corn, and Burr made sure to include senior King Lyons in the conversation as well, even as Lyons works through an injury late in the season.
“King rotates into our five spots and right now he’s injured, but he’s also in some pretty tough classes as a senior and works part time,” Burr said. “All around good kid, good leader, I want to make sure he’s included in this.”
Burr shares coaching duties with Bob Croschere of Gresham, who handles his side of the roster and brings the two groups together at meets.
“Bob does a good job getting his team ready and does a good job practicing with them,” Burr said. “We come together at meets and pull kids from both sides as needed. He does a great job with his kids.”
With only two seniors graduating this spring, Burr is optimistic about what comes next.
“We have a lot of underclassmen that’ll keep this ball rolling in the future,” he said.
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