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Bob Ashton (1969-1986)
Bob
Ashton was introduced to golf in 1955, at the age of 21, in
Tucson, Arizona. He played with friends at Randolph-Scott golf
course, and developed a passion for the game, despite difficulties
in finding left-handed clubs. He began to play more regularly
in 1960, when he came to BFA to teach English. He spent the
60's coaching football, basketball, and baseball at BFA. In
addition, he played golf during the summers, and even recalls
playing Burlington Country Club for $4. He played most of his
golf, however, at Champlain Country Club, in St. Albans.
While playing at Champlain, he met many young players that were
enthusiastic about the game. He enjoyed playing golf, and
working with kids, and decided to start a golf team at BFA with John
Bostwick. The first two seasons the team wasn't officially in
the Metro league, but did compete at the sectional tournament.
Ashton and Bostwick volunteered to coach the team in these seasons.
The first official season that BFA was a recognized golf team was
1971. Ashton coached many strong teams in the 70's, but was
unable to win the league tournament. In fact, BFA recorded 8
runner-up finishes in the 70's. Ashton recalls these
bridesmaid years as a bit frustrating because of how talented the
teams were. In the mid 70's, Bob Caggige replaced John
Bostwick as the assistant coach of the golf team.
In
1977, Ashton became the Athletic Director of BFA. He played an
integral role in the development of the Collins-Perley Sports
Complex in the early 80's. In 1986-87, the head coaching
position was passed to Bob Caggige. His fondest memories are
of enjoying the great game of golf with his players and friends.
Ashton retired from his role as Athletic Director a year later, and
continued to teach English at the Academy. He retired from
teaching full-time in 2000, and has since been honored by having a
hallway named after him at BFA. He is still a prominent
fixture at BFA, subbing part-time, and he can be found at BFA
sporting events and Champlain Country Club.
Bob Caggige (1987-2006)
Bob
Caggige was introduced to golf by caddying in his 8th grade summer
at Rutland Country Club with friends. He recalls making $2 for
9 holes, but over time became a top "A" caddy, earning $5 a round.
Caddies were able to play on Mondays, giving him a chance to enjoy
the game. He played for the Mt. Saint Joseph Golf team in his
junior and senior years of high school. The team practiced at
Rutland CC and played in the Southern Vermont Golf League.
He
played golf sporadically until he began teaching at BFA, and spent
his summers on the links. He began helping out with BFA golf
in the mid 70's with head coach Bob Ashton. He took over the
team in 1987, and recalls some challenging years in the beginning as
many players were very new to the game. He really enjoyed
playing golf with the team, and helping them learn the game.
In addition to coaching, Caggige is a very skilled player, having
captured the Champlain Country Club Championship in 1996, 1997, and
2001. He has also won the CCC Member's Guest, Member-Member,
and 3 Shark Shootouts, which is a testament to his consistency on
the golf course. In addition to his golf skills, Bob is a
compassionate and generous individual. This was demonstrated
in his organization of Birdie's for Bashaw, a tournament to support
his late friend Jim Bashaw, who passed away at age 45 of brain
cancer.
In
the early 90's, he joined the Vermont Principal's Association (VPA)
golf committee. The VPA sets the policies and procedures for
competitive high school golf. In addition, in 1999, he also
began scoring at the State Tournament. At BFA, Bob began the
BFA golf spring putting contest, as part of the team's spring
preparation. Under Caggige, the 2001 team was the first to win
the sectionals, and continued on to be crowned State Champions for
Division I golf for the first time in school history. In 2003,
BFA claimed another sectional title. In 2006, he announced his
retirement from BFA golf, after over thirty years with BFA golf,
twenty in which he was head coach. He has enjoyed watching
players develop in golf and as individuals. He still keeps in
touch with many of the players from his team's over the years.
He, like Coach Ashton, is still an avid fan of BFA sports, and
member of Champlain Country Club.
Chris Hungerford (2007-)
Chris Hungerford began playing golf at age 12 with his father and
grandfather at Champlain Country Club. He fell in love with
the game immediately, and spent most days of the summer at the
course. He developed a passion for learning the game, and was
able to win the CCC Jr. Club Championship at ages 14, 15, & 17.
His earliest influence in golf was professional Mike Swim, who is a
big supporter of junior golf. In high school, he played for
BFA, and after a mediocre freshman season, became one of the top
players in the league. He was the runner-up medalist in the
State Championship in his sophomore and junior seasons. In
addition, he was named the league's player of the year in 1999,
during his junior season. He paired with Shayne Bocash to win
the 2000 Two-Man Tournament.
In
1999, Hungerford set the course record at Champlain Country Club
with a 5-under 65. He also competed in his first Vermont Amateur
that summer. He won several junior tournaments in
Vermont, but none were as big as winning the 2000 Big "I" Junior
Classic with a 3-under 69. This qualified him to play in the
national tournament in Atlanta, Georgia, however, he missed the cut
at nationals. In 2000, he accomplished a major goal and won
the CCC Club Championship, and also won the Bakersfield Championship
the following week. He played Division III golf for two years
at St. Lawrence University, but stopped to pursue a medical studies.
In 2001, he set the course record at Arrowhead GC with a 2-under 25.
In 2002, he played in his second VT Amateur at Ekwanok CC. He
took a break from competitive golf from 2003 to 2005 due to medical
studies, but returned to competing in late 2006. In 2007, he
was medalist at Cedar Knoll VT Amateur qualifying (75) for the
Brattleboro VT-Am. In the summer of 2007, he won the Champlain
Country Club Match Play Championship.
In
2005 & 2006, he coached BFA Boys Tennis, and fell in love with
coaching. Coaching also led him to pursue a career in
education, in which he could work with kids, and also enjoy summers
on the golf course. He has been working part-time and student
teaching in the BFA Science Department since 2005. In 2007, he
was honored to replace Bob Caggige as the BFA golf coach. He
brings extensive experience in competing at the highest levels of
junior golf, and a love of learning and teaching the game. He
began serving on the Board of Directors at Champlain Country Club in
2007. He
takes great pride in the integrity of the game, and also the
outstanding tradition of BFA athletics in the St. Albans community. |
