"In Their Own Words" Nancy Lopez, captain Donna Caponi, assistant captain Nancy and I wanted to keep it fun. There were many gifts for the players and we decorated every one of their rooms in red, white and blue candles, streamers, photos and balloons. We wanted to keep the atmosphere fun and light because the pressure is so severe.
When I was shopping at a party store, I found this paddle that you put in front of your face that shows a girl with a huge smile and bright red lipstick. I bought them for Nancy and I and we’d lift up these paddles over our faces and the players would crack up laughing. It relaxed and made the players laugh in times of pressure.
We worked a deal out with Canon to give each player a digital camera. That week, we all took photos of each other at dinners and the various functions. Each night we would pick up the cameras outside of the players’ bedroom doors, download the photos and return them for the next day. The best part was during the Opening Ceremony. Our entire U.S. team was on the stage and fans and media were snapping pictures of the team. We all pulled out our cameras and took photos of the audience!
Stories from Solheim Captains and Participants
The best advice I could give to a captain would be to include the players in your decisions. An example of the success I had with this was on the last day I showed the players the line-up, they provided some input and changed it. And it worked! Players who have been there can use their experiences to help the captains with their decisions.
I never played on a high school or college golf team, so I never had this type of experience before. Being the U.S. Solheim Team Assistant Captain was the highlight of my career.