BirdieSisters

WVON 1690 supports the Birdiesisters

The Birdiesisters would like to thank Wvon, Matt Mcgill, Perri Small and all the staff at WVON for their help and support of the Birdiesisters.

From 1963 to the present, WVON has gone from being “The Voice of the Negro” to “The Voice of the Nation.” They provide an interactive forum for the African-American community to discuss current, social, economic, and political issues. WVON is “The Talk of Chicago,” where they are always giving you something to talk about. 

Read more about the history of WVON at: http://www.wvon.com/aboutus/history.php

Golf Dad Tells Story…

Illinois has some of the top rated players in the country. Birdiesisters Erica and Myah Jackson feel lucky to compete with them. Gianna is Myah’s good friend from competition and we recently received this feed back of her experience at the PGA Golf Club Invitational 2008 (Giana played with the 9 year-old girls).

Did you see Gigis results in Florida? Check this out, with 2 holes 2 go she was in 2nd or 3rd overall, she hit a great 3rd shot into a par 5 just seconds after it poured for 10 minutes. It came up about 2 inches short of perfect and hit the bunker UNDER ( and i mean every extent of the word under) the lip and you could not see the ball! had it cleared the lip, seriously, it would have been within feet of the cup. She made a double, which wasnt bad considering the lie. Then on the last hole, the girl she tied with dropped a 12 foot sidehill putt! Then Gigis putt for par spun out. They tied and Gianna lost a 5 scenario tiebreaker!!!!! 5! can you believe it? so 5th place and no trophy.

–
Shawn Furrie

Read more about the tournaments sponsored by Shawn Furrie at: http://www.juniorclassicgolf.net/

A Word From BirdieSister Erica Jackson

Thank you for visiting our website. I hope you find every thing you need to know about us and much more. I should be able to swing my new clubs before the tournament in December in Florida. Tell everyone that you know about our website because the more people we get the better our support base will be. Wish us good luck in Florida to place in the top 10. Thanks again for your support and hope to get more comments from you. Thanks to all the people that are cheering us on, also all the people on the thanks list.  We are going to put some games on the website so that you and your kids and all the kids you know can play games on the site.  Please check back for the games soon!

Thanks,

Erica Jackson

A word from BirdieSister Myah Jackson

I would like to thank you for coming to my website. Please register so I can locate you in the future. Thank you for all of the comments and for encouraging me and Erica. Wish me luck in my tournament in Florida in December. I am practicing 3 days a week just to get in the top 15. There will be kids from all over the world there but not many from the Midwest. I am trying to catch up with a 10 year-old who I met that practices 10 hours a week. Did you see the video of the long putt that I made? I get so excited when I make long putts! My goal is to “one-putt” at least three times in 9-holes and six times in 18 holes. It is tough but I can do it. Well that is all for now. Please continue to visit our website and let us know if you have any questions.

Myah

Ten Ways to Keep Kids Interested in Golf

Given the slow pace of a round of golf, many people ask the question, “How do you keep your kids interested in golf?”  Well, it isn’t easy — at least it wasn’t at first.  Most kids enjoy activities that allow them to run, jump, scream and laugh.  To the contrary, golf requires silence, patience, focus and discipline.  All the things that most kids hate!  I had to ask myself some questions: 1)How can we keep our children interested in golf; and 2) How can we help them appreciate the importance of consistent practice.  Well, there has to be something about the sport that excites them — whether its winning a competition, challenging each other, meeting new friends from around the world, or traveling to different parts of the country and gaining new experiences.  I would like to share 10 things that have worked for the BirdieSisters (the list is not prioritized).

1. Taking golf lessons that include setting and reaching certain goals, especially when small cash tokens are available.  The BirdieSisters’ coach often challenged them to achieve certain targets in exchange for prizes.  Therefore, they looked forward to lessons and the opportunity to gain rewards.

2. Finding times during their golf experience to run, jump, scream and laugh.  For example, celebrating great shots, celebrating victories, participating in non-competitive golf events, and having fun with their competitors before and after tournaments.  They also participate in other activities like Tae Kwon Do, dance, and scouting.

3. Participating in tournaments and golf outings where they meet and interact with other junior golfers from around the world who are serious and excited about the game of golf.

Continue Reading…

Supporters of the Birdiesisters

Many people have pitched in to help the Birdiesisters in a variety of ways.  The Birdiesisters would like to thank the following people for all support they have given to help the Birdiesisters stay in the game.  The Jackson family would like to take this opportunity to send out a special thank you to these individuals and organizations.  You truly have made a difference for the Birdiesisters.

Why Golf? How it all began for the Birdiesisters.

Eric Jackson, the father of the Birdiesisters, always knew that if he were to have children they would become great athletes.  After he found out that his wife was pregnant with a girl, he started thinking about sports opportunities that would not require certain physical attributes to be successful, and that had the potential to be both financially and socially rewarding.  He also wanted to ensure that his little girl would not be perceived as a “tom boy” while displaying their athleticism.  Nonetheless, his ultimate goal was for little Erica to make her way into the history books.  Therefore, Eric decided that Erica would play golf.  When Myah was born in 2000, Eric’s dream broadened.  He began to envision the Jackson girls making golf history.

Eric began to instill in Erica that she was destined to be a golfer.  For example, he began to call her Erica ”the golfer” Jackson.  Eric started looking for a golf coach to make his dream a reality.  One Sunday during the summer of 2002, Marsha Jackson, the Birdiesisters’ mom, was talking to her pastor after church.  Her pastor mentioned that he was considering enrolling his daugher in a “Hook a Kid On Golf” program in the south suburbs of Chicago.  Marsha told him that Eric was looking for a golf coach for Erica.  She took down the information, gave it to Eric, and Erica’s golf journey began.  Although the program didn’t turn out to be a viable option for Erica,  it resulted in her first golf lessons.  She started out taking lessons once a week for 30 minutes.  During Erica’s lessons, little Myah, who was only 2 years-old, began watching, learning and repeating the coach’s consistent words — “keep your head down.”  Therefore, Myah’s golf journey was also beginning, even without a golf club in hand.

In the summer of 2004, Eric moved both girls to a closer golf course on the southside of Chicago to increase the frequency of their lessons.  They began taking lessons 3 days a week for one hour.  That same summer, Erica participated in her first golf competition, Drive, Chip and Putt.  In 2006, both girls participated in their first golf tournament in Southern Illinois, which attracted junior golfers from around the world.  Thereafter, the girls joined several local golf tours and programs.  This year, for the first time, the Birdiesisters participated in four international junior golf tournaments, along with several local tours and programs.

Today, the Birdiesisters are looking to expand their golf training and tournament participation in order to become more competitive on both national and international levels.

All about Erica Jackson

Erica Jackson

Biography as of October 1, 2008

Height: 4’ 6”

Weight: 70 lbs

Birthdate: May 20, 1998

Residence: Chicago, IL

Grade: 5th

Shoe size: 6 (ladies)

Shirt size: Large (child); Adult (X-Small)

Pant size: 10-12

Favorite color: Blue

Favorite animal: Dog (Yorkshire Terrier)

Favorite athlete: Tiger Woods

Favorite golf ball: Maxfli Noodle

Average Drive: 150 yds.

Special Interests: dance (tap, ballet and hip hop), music (piano), Tae Kwon do

(practicing black belt), computer, triathlon, video games

All about Myah Jackson

Myah Jackson

Biography as of October 1, 2008

Height: 4’ 2”

Weight: 63 lbs

Birthdate: April 29, 2000

Residence: Chicago, IL

Grade: 3rd

Shoe size: 4 (girls)

Shirt size: Medium (child); Adult (X-Small)

Pant size: 8

Favorite color: Blue

Favorite animal: Chihuahua

Favorite athlete: Wilma Rudolph

Favorite golf ball: Maxfli Noodle

Average Drive: 130 yds.

Special Interests: dance (tap, ballet and jazz), music (piano), Tae Kwon do

(practicing black belt), computer, triathlon, reading,

writing stories