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VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA NORTH TEXAS SHOOTOUT PRESENTED BY JTBCApril 29, 2015Brittany LangGerina PillerAngela StanfordIRVING, TEXAS THE MODERATOR: I'd like to welcome Angela Stanford, Gerina Piller and Brittany Lang into the Volunteers of America North Texas Shootout media center. Welcome. Now, these girls are actually‑‑ I call them the Texas girls. They're playing locally this week. What is it like to be out here in Irving so close to home and playing kind of a home tournament this week? Angela? ANGELA STANFORD: Well, I mean, obviously, I guess, sleeping in your own bed is probably the coolest part about it. You have all your friends and family come out, and I think it's just‑‑ I mean, I love being at home and I love Texas. I love the friendliness of the people here. I think overall it's just a comfort thing. I mean, I don't know, it's just‑‑ we're not living out of a bag this week, so it's nice. BRITTANY LANG: Yeah, I always can't wait to get home before this event and put the suitcase away and make my own meals and just be home with my family. I love that all my friends get to come enjoy it. I think it's great, too, because we bring out a ton of people from McKinney and Stonebridge and they get a great view of the LPGA and they start following, so it's great for us. THE MODERATOR: I notice you got your nails done before this week with the Texas flag and you have Texas state on your ears. BRITTANY LANG: I might need to tone it down a little bit. I love it. It would mean a lot to play well here, so I love it. THE MODERATOR: Gerina, obviously playing at home, it makes it more at ease, sleeping in your own bed, having family and friends out here. Does it create a more busy week for you having some off‑course obligations and things to do, as well? GERINA PILLER:  Definitely. Obviously I love to support this tournament and whatever I can do, I will do. So that provides a little more busyness in the schedule, and also, it's kind of odd because you're at your house, and I don't know about these two girls but I get like this, cleaning out my closet, and I'm like, hold on, you need to stay focused, we're at a tournament here. So it's hard to go home and still kind of pretend like it's‑‑ not really pretend, but have a tournament week and do things. If you're in a hotel in a different city, you don't have to do laundry and you don't have to clean the bathroom or anything like that. I find that that's‑‑ I find that difficult for me when I have a home event. But like they said, it's great just to be somewhere familiar, and I mean, you're just playing in your backyard. You just have that feeling and that sense of the connection with the city and the town, and you just feel like you're‑‑ like people are behind you and they're rooting for you just because you're from Texas, so it's really cool. THE MODERATOR: Angela, you're a veteran on the Tour here. This is the third year in the Dallas area. How important is it to you personally to have the tournament out here and be able to have friends and family come and support you, especially being a local alum of TCU. ANGELA STANFORD: Well, that for me is the fun part, seeing people that they have purple on and they're yelling, Go Frogs. That's fun. I actually like the location. I like it where we can pull from Dallas, we can pull from Fort Worth. If the tournament were on the east side of Dallas, I think it would be harder for Fort Worth people. I actually like the location. I like that it's central, and for me, I'm going to be extra nervous on the first tee tomorrow, just because there is that‑‑ you want to play well for people because you know they're coming out to watch you. But I love the location of it. I think it's great because the metroplex is so big, you want to be central here to pull everybody. THE MODERATOR: Last night you attended the Rangers game and kind of got a fun experience. You actually threw the first pitch. I know you've done that before in Philly. Can you tell me about your experience last night at the Rangers stadium? GERINA PILLER: Yeah, it was phenomenal. I got to go to batting practice, and it's just cool to see the guys rip the ball and kind of‑‑ I always think of it as like their way of kind of showing off. They get to kind of hit whatever and horse around and kind of just be themselves out there, and then throwing out the first pitch, I was probably the most nervous I've ever been. I don't know if it was because it was the Rangers and I grew up liking the Rangers being from New Mexico. I'm standing there, and I put my hand on my neck, and it felt like my heart was coming out of my throat. It was just super cool, growing up watching them, and like I'm standing on the mound, like in the stadium, so that was really awesome and just a neat opportunity. I have to admit when I was in little league I was a pitcher when I played, and I found out there was this one boy that had a crush on me, so I decided to hit him. I'm like, that'll teach him. THE MODERATOR: Brittany, it's a Solheim Cup year out here, and I know you guys being from Texas and Americans, this is the push to get on the team and everybody wants to go and represent their country. What would it mean to you to get on the team this year? BRITTANY LANG: Yeah, it would mean everything. You start thinking about it this year, I played good towards the end of last year, and you don't really think about it until you start meeting as a team and it's getting close, a few months here, but it would mean everything. I've been on three, and it's the most meaningful week, the most fun you'll have on the course. It's so cool how we all come together and become close. I mean, words really can't explain how much it means and how much fun it is. I'm excited for the rest of this year, and hopefully I'll play well because I would love to be a part of it. THE MODERATOR: Angela and Gerina and Brittany, all of you guys have been doing some pre‑Solheim Cup team bonding and some really cool events and you guys actually had a special dinner on Monday night. Gerina, tell us about that and how that experience was. GERINA PILLER: Yeah, we actually weren't told who the guest speaker was, and being from Texas, I had some ideas who it was going to be, and it was President Bush, and it was‑‑ and his lovely, lovely wife, Mrs.Bush. It was amazing. Just to know that he was the leader of our country, I mean, that's a huge responsibility. You know, I feel like it's a huge responsibility to be on the Solheim Cup, and you're a team member of 12 representing the country. Like he is the guy and the head of our country. He was phenomenal. I think everyone was all ears. They just could not stop looking at him, paying attention, and it was so neat to see his wife. Every now and then I would look over at her and she just had her head cocked and obviously stunning and ever and she would just look at him and he talked, and I just admire that being a wife. I'm sure she's heard that story a million times. It was an awesome experience, and I can't thank Juli enough for allowing us to do that, and just having another event to bond as a team and get us a little closer. THE MODERATOR: Angela, what did you take away from that night and that dinner with President Bush? ANGELA STANFORD: Well, I thought it was cool that he talked about what it was like to be a team and to have a good team around you. And I remember we got back on the bus, and the thing that he said about staying cool under pressure, and he talked about September 11th, he talked about the day and what was going on. I mean, that stuff, you just‑‑ like to watch his passion, his emotion about everything he talked about, he just‑‑ I told Juli, like okay, first off, we need him back in Germany because I was inspired just standing in the room with him. It's amazing that somebody just‑‑ the way he handles himself and told stories, it was so cool, and I remember telling Juli that Juli does that really well. Like you never know with Juli, like she's always like, hey, yeah, let's go, it's going to be good, I'm good. You never know if there's anything wrong, and that was one of the things‑‑ I just kind of kept taking away the team aspect of what he was talking about. When things aren't going well, you have to stay calm and you have to project a sense of everything is fine, and I told Juli, I'm like, I see that in Juli. It was just cool how he‑‑ because a lot of people go, why would a Solheim Cup team go do that before. Well, because he knows what it's like to have good people around and what you need to do to be successful. When you're the President of the United States, you did something right. THE MODERATOR: Juli mentioned she was kind of taking from him his leadership and she really liked how involved‑‑ playing with your heart, leading with your heart, so I thought that was pretty cool. Great idea by Juli bringing that in. Q. You guys have been so supportive of the event. Can you tell with this great field, is that any indication of the recruiting you guys have done, or what is it about this tournament that's allowed it to be so successful so soon? GERINA PILLER: I think a lot of it is location. I think‑‑ I've always said that we needed a tournament here not only for the fans but it's just a great golf area, and it's right in the middle of the country and in an area of our schedule, we're starting to transition to East Coast, it just makes sense. For that reason alone, I think a lot of girls think, well, I could go play there just because travel‑wise it makes sense. I've been very impressed that players have given this tournament some time to grow because I could see how people would jump ship early because the conditions of the golf course have been tough. Not much grass, and this is a weird time of year for us here. We probably need about two more weeks. So I'm excited to see how green the course is this year, and hopefully‑‑ I'm proud that girls have let it‑‑ they've given it a chance. I think this year we'll see a different tournament, a different course. And we slap them when they say we're not coming. Q. Gerina, you said you were at the ballpark yesterday. The Rangers aren't hitting very well. Did you give them some tips on how to hit the ball squarely? GERINA PILLER: No, but I sure wanted to. Yeah, it's a touchy subject for me. I'm a hard‑core fan, and I definitely watch with a lot of my heart and emotion, and I get fired up. We were just looking at the lineup, and my maiden name is actually Mendoza, and there's not many players over the Mendoza line, and we all know Mendoza line is not a good thing to be around. Yeah, they definitely are struggling in that area. Q. As local players who obviously are playing for the big events and all that, what do you all think of Jordan Spieth winning the Masters and what he's done recently? ANGELA STANFORD: I think he's amazing. I love watching him play. I can't believe how wise and mature he is as a 21 year old guy. I love listening to his interviews because I just think he's just very smart and mature, and I feel like I learn when I listen to him. But I loved watching him play. That was so impressive to see how aggressive he kept playing with that lead at the Masters. I just couldn't believe it. He had four or five‑shot lead and he's running putts by and three‑putting and he's keeping a good attitude. But I really enjoyed watching him, supporting him. He's from Texas and he's young, but I think he has an extremely bright future, and I just loved watching him play that week. I think I learned a lot. GERINA PILLER: I think he is even a better person off the course. I play in the North Texas Junior PGA. It's like a little outing down at Brook Hollow, and I was just standing on the range minding my own business, hitting balls, and he came up to me, introduced himself. Obviously I know who he is. And he's like, yeah, I'm Jordan Spieth, and I just wanted to introduce myself and to say congratulations on Solheim Cup. That was just like, wow, like this kid has got it going on. To be that assertive to do that, you know, and not have that, well, everyone knows who I am and I don't need to introduce myself to anyone or anything like that. That's always stuck with me, and I think it's good for‑‑ I mean, for Texas, obviously, and for the young players coming out. He's sets a very good example, and I just‑‑ I have a big family, and family means a lot to me, and to read what I read about his most exciting thing about winning the Masters is telling his sister that he finally won, it chokes me up every time. That just hits home for me, and I think that having a sister who is special needs, and I think that that has put a great perspective on his life and what he does, and he handles it with great class. THE MODERATOR: You do have a little bit of an advantage because you're a little more accessible to the course here. Have you had the opportunity besides the past years to come out here and get a little bit more practice and feel for the course? ANGELA STANFORD: Well, the staff here is so nice and any time we have called and said can we come play they've always let us come out. It's kind of nice because I know we all have home courses but it's kind of like a secondary home. That speaks volumes for the people here and the staff here because they have welcomed us and they have welcomed the LPGA, and that's awesome. It's reassuring for us that, okay, we know they want us there, so that's a good feeling. BRITTANY LANG: Yeah, they are fantastic. I think I played three rounds recently. I played one with Angela and then two with my husband, but it's good to get out and just learn something else, and the course was soggy the last time, so it's a completely different course to last year with it being firm last year. Yeah, I try to take advantage of it. But I have to admit I'm pretty lazy, I don't want to drive 40 minutes. When I travel for a living, I'm so lazy because all my courses are like one minute. I'm like, Brittany, go out there. GERINA PILLER: I have a little different answer just because when I come home from tournaments in the off‑season, that's my off time, so I don't do much golf when I'm back in town. But obviously when it had started and it had rumors that it was here, we did play it. I actually caddied for myself in a U.S. Open qualifier here before they even had the tournament, so I was like, yeah, I felt like I had a one‑up on everybody. THE MODERATOR: Well, thank you guys so much for coming in and good luck this week playing in your hometown. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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