Sports

Chandler golf instructor in Women’s Open

BY ZACH ALVIRA

Sports Editor

When Char Carson retired from her corporate job and moved to Arizona in 2006 to pursue teaching, she never imagined that decision generate as much success as she has had on the golf course.

Carson has spent the last 10 years as an LPGA Class A Teaching Professional at Springfield Golf Resort in Chandler, a senior community with a course open to the public.

Not only has she created lifelong bonds with some of the women in the community she plays with on a weekly basis, but she has also taken her golf game to a new level. On July 15 during the US Senior Women’s Open qualifier at Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, she tied for first place with two other golfers.

All three were named to the US Women’s Senior Open that took place this weekend through today, Aug. 1, at Brooklawn Country Club in Fairfield, Conn.

It’s a goal Carson set for herself in 2018 when she attended the Open as a spectator. Ahead of the event, she said she was still in a state of disbelief that she was able to accomplish her goal.

“I’m so excited,” Carson said. “I still think I have a little bit of disbelief. Just to have this happen, it’s unbelievable.”

Carson was first introduced to golf as a teenager by her friend, Janet Kielich, who she has known now for 40 years. The two were volleyball teammates growing up, which Carson pursued at a competitive level for 39 years. Kielich had also played golf with her dad on a regular basis and aimed to get Carson involved. However, she hated it. It wasn’t until Carson was 25 years old, she was reintroduced to the game.

This time, however, she fell in love with it.

Carson and Kielich have remained close ever since. Kielich caddied for her during the US Women’s Open. She took it upon herself to learn the ins and outs of caddying, all to be the best she could be for her friend.

“She sent me a three-page checklist of things we need to bring,” Carson said. “I was just cracking up. We were both so excited.”

Carson placed eighth overall in her first attempt at qualifying for the Open in 2019. She was named as an alternate with her placing.

She flew out to Connecticut in hopes of being called upon to compete in the tournament. The call never came, something she thinks of as a blessing now two years later.

“I got to see and be there up close and watch how everything happens,” Carson said. “It was really fascinating. And it inspired me even more for this one, 2021.”

With the pandemic still ongoing, the amount of time Carson had between the qualifier and the start of the Open was limited to 10 days. She and Kielich left Sunday, July 25 for Connecticut.

They had just three days to get settled in and familiarize themselves with the course. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were practice round days for all the competitors. Carson and Kielich walked the course several times to identify areas of trouble and to game plan.

Because of the different climate, Carson also set out to putt for at least an hour a day to get used to the different speeds on the greens.

“Those greens are so different than what we have right now in Arizona,” Carson said. “They’re lightning fast. I was almost tempted to putt on my tile (at home). There will be a lot of short game.”

Carson credits much of her success on the course and ability to qualify for the Open to the Springfield community. Even before her qualifying match, residents would often share messages of encouragement and support.

When she told them she qualified and would compete at the Open, numerous cards were sent her way. One resident in particular, Donna Sweet, who runs the women’s league at Springfield, has been one of her biggest supporters.

Sweet is in charge of the league’s communication, scoring and pairings while still finds time to play five days a week at 89 years old.

“I’ve had the most incredible amount of support from everyone here,” Carson said. “It’s amazing. I want to be Donna at 89. She’s spunky and is my hero.”

Carson still believes she would be one of the least experienced golfers at the Open. But that doesn’t take away from all she has accomplished.

Overall, to see how far she’s come and to have the opportunity to compete is a rewarding experience in itself.

“This was one of those big, audacious goals and I went after it,” Carson said. “I knew what it would take to get here and now that I am, it’s all about what it will take to make the cut. I just really want to take it all in, have fun with it, learn as much as I can and see how the scores turn out.”

Left: Carson has had support from the Springfield community, including Donna Sweet, “left,” an 89-year-old who runs the women’s league at the club and still plays five days a week. Right: Char Carson, an LPGA Class A Teaching Professional at Springfield Golf Resort in Chandler, recently qualified to compete in the US Senior Women’s Open, which took place July 29 to Aug. 1 at Brooklawn Country Club in Fairfield, Conn. (Pablo Robles/Staff)

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ADOT chief: Plan now for Broadway Curve project

BY JOHN HALIKOWSKI

Guest Writer

Think about this for a moment: Over the course of a month, the number of people who drive on Interstate 10 in the Broadway Curve area between Baseline Road and 40th Street is nearly as large as the entire population of our great state.

But even that incredible number doesn’t sufficiently explain the importance of the I-10 Broadway Curve area – or the 11 miles of I-10 between the Loop 202 (Santan/South Mountain Freeway) and I-17 – in the metro-Phoenix area’s transportation network. I-10 is a key commerce corridor that connects our state with the rest of the nation.

More than 4,600 businesses are located along the corridor, including 50 of the region’s largest employers. Millions of Arizonans and visitors use I-10 to reach Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

This month, the Arizona Department of Transportation will begin preliminary work on one of the largest projects in our history to reconstruct and improve this essential freeway and several of its major interchanges.

Between now and the end of 2024, we’ll make many important changes to I-10 in the area of the Broadway Curve, including:

Increasing the capacity of the roadway by adding travel lanes. When we’re finished, I-10 will have six standard travel lanes and two HOV lanes in each direction between 24th Street and US 60 Superstition Freeway and four lanes and an HOV lane in each direction from US 60 to Ray Road.

Creating something new: Collector-Distributor roads that will improve driver safety and traffic flow by separating local traffic entering and exiting the highway from the “through” traffic on I-10 between 40th Street and Baseline Road.

Replacing the interchange with State Route 143. The final configuration will include new bridges, four new ramps connecting I-10 and SR 143 and a new Broadway Road bridge.

Improving the interchange at US 60 so drivers can choose whether to use the general-purpose or Collector-Distributor roads.

Our team has been working for more than two years not only to develop this project, but also to inform the community about what is ahead.

We’ve met with businesses and business leaders; town, city and county officials; leaders from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, freight and transit; and hundreds of others to share our plans.

We’re working with emergency responders to make sure they can respond safely and quickly during construction, and reaching out to special-event venues so we can avoid conflicts with major events planned in the Valley in the next few years.

You can help, too. Any project this large in this busy of an area will require a significant number of times we will need to close the freeway in one direction or the other, or at least restrict a few lanes.

You can start thinking now about how you’ll get where you need to go if I-10 in the Broadway Curve is closed or too congested because of lane restrictions. The more we plan ahead, the more we can minimize the inconvenience.

We’ll do our part, too. We have a website with current information about the project at i10BroadwayCurve.com. While you’re there, sign up to receive email alerts about construction work, lane closures and detour routes.

You can also learn more about our free mobile app, The Curve, which provides real-time traffic conditions and more. You can call us on the Bilingual Project Information Line at 602.501.5505 or email us at Info@i10broadwaycurve.com.

We’re going to do everything we can to provide a great project for Arizona’s future, safely, on time and on budget. We appreciate your help and support in accomplishing this major project.

John Halikowski is director of the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Sinema, Kelly should oppose PRO Act

TERRI KIMBLE Guest Writer

Prior to even the founding of our city, the Chandler Chamber of Commerce has been working to increase investments in our communities, create a positive economic climate that attracts new businesses, and promote continued economic expansion that improves citizen’s quality of life.

Despite the trials presented in the past year, Chandler businesses have shown resilience, continuing to help our city thrive and grow.

However, legislation being considered in the U.S. Senate could jeopardize these local economic developments.

The proposed “Protecting the Right to Organize Act” (PRO Act), S. 420, has the potential to create hardships for business owners by forcing unionization on Arizona workers and workplaces. This proposal, despite its name, is less about protecting the right to organize than it is about giving labor unions power over both workers and local businesses.

Arizona is one of 27 states that has adopted “right-to-work” laws, meaning that workers cannot be compelled to pay union dues if they did not vote in favor of unionization or do not support a union’s activities.

This law has been critical to protecting workers’ freedom and creating a positive business climate for Arizona – so much so that it has been written into our state constitution.

The PRO Act would rescind all right-towork laws across the country. Not only does this undermine the will of Arizona’s voters, but it will threaten vital economic and employment opportunities that our communities desperately need.

The PRO Act would also redefine something known as the “joint employer standard,” which is the criteria used to determine when two or more entities share employer responsibilities for the same worker.

This change would have an enormous, negative impact on the business community here in Chandler. By expanding the definition of being a “joint employer,” the PRO Act would threaten the viability of local businesses, particularly those operating under the franchisor-franchisee model.

Businesses in Chandler and throughout Arizona could also find themselves the target of previously unlawful forms of union picketing and boycotts due to the PRO Act.

This legislation would lift nearly all limitations on picketing, permitting economic injury to businesses that may be completely unrelated to their labor dispute. This risk has the potential to damage small-businesses, and may even impact consumers.

The PRO Act poses a direct threat to Arizona jobs, businesses, and our economic recovery. Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly should oppose this harmful legislation and ensure Arizona businesses are able to come back stronger than before.

Terri Kimble is president/CEO of the Chandler Chamber of Commerce.

Chandler student jazzed by Yale program

BY ZIQING KUANG

Guest Writer

Over the summer, I had the amazing honor of attending Yale Young Global Scholars’ Politics, Law, and Economics program, which included conversing with some of the most talented and well-known professors, famous political figures and students. Of course, staying at home and sitting in front of the laptop three to four hours a day is not the ideal summer plan. However, I quickly changed my mind about it after just my first session. Since I had chosen the Politics, Law, and Economics session, a lot of the activities that I did surrounded topics like cybersecurity, foreign affairs, and international trade.

These are quite strenuous subjects for young adults; however, all the students in my program were incredibly intelligent and talented. My fellow classmates were definitely my favorite part of the program. They had already pursued a lot of their own personal academic interests and constantly did things outside of their school life to cultivate and pursue them.

One of the best parts of the program was the diversity. We had students come in from all over the world, and we were able to analyze issues from multiple perspectives.

My seminars covered issues such as: “Can Democracy Exist? A Look Towards Alternate Voting Systems” “Can Religious Fundamentalism Belong in Liberal Politics?” and “Are smartphones corrupting the youth?”

My professors and instructors were incredibly supportive and my sessions were full of meaningful conversations, and I learned much about other peoples’ perspectives. I read a lot about the pandemic, statistics and fundamental basics of politics and law. I learned that our present-day problems in the government have a distinct pattern in our history. I realized that if schools decided to teach more about present-day problems such as legal frameworks, international law, market regulation, and urban agriculture, it would prepare students for real-world issues.

I recommend all high school students to continue pursuing their academic interests, even during summer. Even during my grueling classes, I was able to get coffee with my friends and attend parties at night.

Our generation clearly has the power and influence to make real change in politics and media; if we don’t educate ourselves and continue to expand our relevant knowledge, we could so easily make the wrong decision. Education is so crucial in making sure our communities thrive and allow for diversity and inclusion. That is why I will be taking all the skills that I have learned during the two weeks I spent with Yale into my classroom environment and college life.

It felt great interacting with such mature and successful students around the world, and it inspired me to make change within my own community.

As school is starting back up, I can’t wait to bring those skills and knowledge I learned over the summer to the classroom.

Chandler resident Ziqing Kuang, 16, is a student at ACP High School.