“In this association we give free classes, golf is our survival, it is our space.”
Of Mexican heritage and little by little converted to the Chicano culture, Azucena Maldonado became not only a woman with a lot of influence in the community but… also opting for a sport and an activity ‘denied’ to the Latin community: golf.
Laughs, she has an open spirit, especially when she says, “I have my father’s spirit, when I started to realize the lack of justice in the Latino community I said to myself, ‘Why can’t we do it?’”
Azucena Maldonado is a trailblazer and she is on a mission to transform women’s lives through golf. She founded the Latina Golfers Association (LGA) in 2008 to introduce Women of all ages to the game of golf for their professional development, personal enjoyment, and to promote a healthy lifestyle, her profile says. But not only that, she seeks to transform lives.
“It is not an elitist sport, they make it look elitist, like many things for Latinos, we are breaking barriers, and most importantly, for women. Our organization is not only about looking pretty and having fun on the weekends, it is about helping to change our community, we go to the communities to teach them how this sport is accessible to everyone, our history has tried to tell us that certain spaces are banned, ‘you know what?’. They are not, we must show that we are not less and those places are open,” says this golfer, but also an activist.
Golf discovered her, but “I always saw white people playing it, and I said to myself, why not Latinos and why not Latina women, ‘My lightbulb turned on,’ she says. My father was always a fighter, I have his spirit and that is how I founded this association. To break taboos in our community,” she adds.
Golf discovered her, but “I always saw white people playing it, and I said to myself, why not Latinos and why not Latina women.
This conversation became personal for me. I saw how my son growing up went to the golf courses and struggled trying to hit the ball, but also how at the US Open we saw how the white golfers, with the exception of Tiger Woods, shined in the tournaments.
“Hitting a ball is not just about reaching a hole on the course, for me, and I try to instill it in the members of my association, each hit is a statement, that is, here we are, we are Latinas, and we can play this game the same as you and, don’t doubt it, in each blow there is a mentality, a fighting effort, a story of our identity,” she adds excitedly.
“In this association we give free classes, golf is our survival, it is our space. These courses are also ours. I have learned to keep my heart intact with my identity. My score now is between 90-92. I hope to improve, but it is not my priority, I want more Latinos involved in this game, I want us to continue losing our fear of these spaces, I am on a mission,” she concludes.
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