THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2002 A8


SPORTS EDITOR: ALEX MITCHELL
PHONE: 759-3030 EXT. 217
FAX: 759-0102


Blind River's Deschamps agrees to tee off for Western Michigan


By BILL MONTAGUE
The Sault Star 


Erica Deschamps was once described as the 'kid from nowhere' but after honing her golf skills, the 17-year-old is no longer an unknown commodity.


Born in Elliot Lake and raised in Blind River, Deschamps is about to embark on her biggest challenge to date when she enrolls in the University of Western Michigan in the fall on a golf scholarship.


The five-foot-seven, 125-pound Deschamps, who currently resides in Sault Ste. Marie, has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Western Michigan and is excited about the challenge.


"I'm so happy that I signed where I did," said Deschamps, who is the No. 1 ranked junior female golfer in Northern Ontario for the last four years. "It met all my expectations and we have similar goals so when you have that kind of connection with a school, it's great.


"It'll give me an opportunity to expand as a player and a person, and I'm bound to improve my game. I just loved everything about it, from the coach to the facilities to the academics. They had pretty much everything I wanted."


Deschamps had other scholarship opportunities in Louisville, Texas, West Virginia and Florida but opted for Michigan because of her connection with head coach Cindy Trout.


"She (Trout) was honest from the start and I liked the fact that she was ready to take a risk on me," said Deschamps, who also credited John Clement from National Scouting Report in the Sault with helping her in her scholarship search. "Because I'm from Northern Ontario, I'm obviously a risk factor because I don't get the opportunity to get out and golf as much as a lot of other people.


"Lets face it, the girls I'm up against for scholarships are from Florida, Texas and Arizona and they're out there playing year round."


Unlike some of the more generic interviews Deschamps has had with coaches, she said Trout's interview was more personal.


"She (Trout) really got to know me personally," Deschamps said. "She asked me the kind of questions that allowed her to judge my character and


competitiveness and she was really interested in my goals for the future."


For as excited as Deschamps is about attending Western Michigan, Trout believes she has truly recruited a blue-chip prospect who has promise written all over her.


"I believe we have found a true diamond in the rough who will make us a better, deeper team in the future," Trout said in a press release. "I look forward to the talent and commitment she will bring and I feel confident she will be a regular on the travel squad."


Deschamps will be one of two Canadians on the Broncos roster, the other being sophomore Stephanie Donkin from Edson, Alta.


Throughout her high school career, Deschamps has displayed a penchant for excelling in a lot of sports, including basketball, volleyball, badminton and track and field. She is currently the 11th-ranked junior golfer in Ontario and has captured the Pepsi Tour Regional junior golf tide the last four years.


Two years ago, Deschamps made a name for herself at an American Junior Golf Association tour event by getting into the tournament during a qualifying round and then finishing fifth overall. She led the field after an impressive opening day which included a hole-in-one, the first of her life.


"During the first day of that AJGA event, I fired a hole in one and that's my career highlight so far," she said. "I qualified for the tournament after a qualifying event and after the first day, they were calling me 'the kid from nowhere' on the radio."


Erica Deschamps golf highlights:
■	Top-ranked junior female golfer in Northern Ontario for the past four years;
■	Currently, the 11th-ranked junior-aged golfer in Ontario;
■	Pepsi Tour regional junior tour champion for the past four years;
■	Captained Northern Ontario junior girls team the last three years;
■	Tied for 22nd at Canadian junior nationals in 2002;
■	Finished 12th at the Ontario junior girls championships in 2002;
■	Finished fifth at the Ontario Jr. Champion of Champions;
■	Captured the Huron Pines Golf and Country Club title for four of the past five years.



Photo
R. J. FROST ■ SAULT STAR

NORTHERN junior golfer Erica Deschamps: Expectations met.