O-R Athlete of the Week: Betty Glyptis, Peters Township
Name: Betty Glyptis
Grade: Junior
School: Peters Township
Sport: Golf
Glyptis’ week: Two solid rounds helped Glyptis earn silver at the WPIAL Class 3A girls golf championships for the second year in a row.
Glyptis shot 80 at Hill Crest Country Club last Monday and was one-shot back entering the final round. She shot a 78 at Valley Brook Country Club, her home course, and had the lead in the clubhouse before a fantastic finish by Moon’s Olivia DeGori ended her hopes at gold.
DeGori holed out for eagle on 16, birdied 17 and pared 18 to two-shot victory.
Glyptis finished the tournament at +13 as the runner up, which was disappointing to her, but easier to digest considering how DeGori finished her round.
“Liv played excellent so she deserved to win,” Glyptis said. “Last year I was happier with my result, but this year I wish I would’ve played a little bit better. I had a lot of really good shots that I didn’t capitalize on.
Glyptis had three birdies in her round.
Hearing loss: Glyptis is hearing impaired in both of her ears, something she’s had since she was three years old.
It’s been something she’s had to navigate basically her entire life, but she’s seen her other senses grow in the process.
“The world is definitely set up for people that can hear, but it’s given me a little bit more ability to problem solve,” Glyptis said. “I really just have to work with the world and almost decode what I’m hearing. I miss a lot, but can fill in based off of context.”
She said she developed most of her strategies in dealing with hearing loss before she became a good golfer, but has seen some areas develop along side her golf game.
“(Hearing loss) has given me more awareness in the space around me,” Glyptis said. “I’m never going to hear somebody walking behind me based on how my aids are set up, so I just have to know where I am at all times. I have fun with it. It makes it more interesting.”
Glyptis has been playing golf since she was old enough to walk. This year is the 14th year playing the sport. She said hearing loss presents its challenges on the golf course, but she has been able to adapt.
“It makes some things more interesting,” Glyptis said. “With the way my aids work, they are supposed to block out some noise, but in windy conditions all I can really hear is the wind and nothing else. For my swing I cannot rely on if a strike of the club sounded off. That’s just not going to work for me, so I really have to be aware of where I am and in my space. It kind of makes me better in some ways, but it would be nice to have some feedback from the sound of the shot.”
Ready for states: Glyptis will go to states October 19-21 to try and best a 16th place finish from last year.
She also had a chance to win WPIAL gold with her teammates, because Peters Township is in the Class 3A team championship Tuesday at Cedarbrook Golf Course in Belle Vernon.
“There are parts of my game that are getting a lot better just as a general trend,” Glyptis said. “I’m excited for states. I really like the Penn State White Course, so I think I’m going to have a lot of fun out there.”
Compiled by Jerin Steele