[Sports ★★★★]
(P1) Deadspin has a bizarre story about a Virginia judge banning a 10-year-old golf prodigy from playing golf. The unnamed girl has won 11 of the past 12 youth tournaments she’s played in and even took first place in an all-ages women’s competition. “She’s really good,” says Kris Tschetter, a former pro who’s given lessons to the girl. “Like, really, really good.” But the girl has also been the subject of a seven-year custody battle between her parents. At the most recent hearing this month, which the girl’s father, Michael Vechery, participated in without a lawyer, Judge Jeanette Irby ruled the girl can’t play in any tournaments or get lessons from pros for one year. She’s also prohibited from playing more than one round of golf per week with her father.
(P2) Irby’s ruling doesn’t make it clear why the girl, who’s said she may want to play professionally one day, was banned from golf, and Irby declined to comment for the Deadspin article. However, he’s not the first judge to address the girl’s golf playing. “Maybe she will be the next female version of Tiger Woods,” another judge said in a hearing last November. “I don’t know, don’t really care.” Tschetter, who says the girl is already good enough to play college golf, calls the ruling “negligent“: “Did anybody ask the child if she wants to play?” The father of the world’s top-ranked 11-year-old golfer says Irby is essentially taking away the girl’s shot at a college scholarship and calls the ruling “unreal.” Vechery says he plans to appeal the ruling, and the PGA is helping him find a lawyer. But it could take 10 months to get another hearing, so the ban is likely a reality for his daughter.
WORDS: 290
SOURCE: http://www.newser.com/story/227444/judge-bans-10-year-old-girl-from-playing-golf.html
VOCABULARY: bizarre, prodigy, custody, hearing, tournaments, pros, to address, version, negligent, essentially
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.
- Briefly, summarize the content of the article in your own words.
- In your opinion, do you think the girl should be banned from playing golf? Why or why not?
- Should a child custody case last 7 years? Why or why not?
- Should the judge take into account how the 11-year-old girl feels about playing golf? Why or why not?
READING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:
- Where does the judge who ruled on the case work?
- What’s the name of the girl?
- the banned girl is allowed to take lessons from golf professionals. (T or F)
- The judge’s decision in the case is obvious why the girl can’t play golf. (T or F)
- What’s the estimated time for another ruling in the appeal?
EXPRESSIONS or PHRASES:
What do the following expressions or phrases mean?
- Seven-year custody battle (P1)
- One round of golf (P1)
- World’s top-ranked 11-year-old golfer (P2)
- Taking away (P2)
- Shot at a college scholarship (P2)
- Appeal the ruling (p2)
Image source: By Yellowj