For Mater Dei Catholic’s Sofia Gomez, golf success is well worth the (border) wait

Sofia Gomez spends a good portion of her teenage life in a car. She’s not driving to the mall. She’s not headed to a sleepover or to dinner with friends.

Instead, she’s preparing for fairways and greens.

The Mater Dei Catholic High School senior endures lengthy travel time as a passenger from her home to classes in Chula Vista. Then, it’s back into the car to return home from a golf course.

The three-year varsity starter commutes from Rosarito, across the U.S-Mexico border and back to the Baja beach town in a dawn-to-dusk affair.

Gomez, 17, lives an unconventional routine as a high school athlete. Her typical school day looks like this:

Wake up at zero dark thirty.

Leave home by 5:45 a.m.

Pick up a teammate on the way to the San Ysidro border crossing.

Endure rush hour wait times that can be up to 50 minutes through the SENTRI lane.

Get dropped off at Mater Dei Catholic.

There are more tasks after school:

Load golf clubs into her carpool vehicle.

Travel to the golf course.

Play for one of the top teams in San Diego County.

Get back in the car, head south.

Wait at least an hour at the border crossing into Mexico.

Endure another hour of traffic from Tijuana to Rosarito.

Arrive home, eat dinner, and study for Advanced Placement classes.

The process repeats day after day.

Gomez isn’t alone in the journey. She often carpools with childhood friend Camila Ortega, her mother, or parents of other teammates.

“My car is my life. It’s my other house,” said Ortega, also a 17-year-old three-year starter. “I have to sleep, do homework and eat in the car. It takes us almost two hours to get back to Rosarito with traffic. I’m very, very tired most of the time.”

Despite the fatigue that comes from the rigorous travel, Gomez, Ortega along with senior Vanessa Moreno, have found ways to lead the Crusaders to victories.

Mater Dei Catholic, which practices at the Bonita Golf Course, won the CIF-San Diego Section Division II championship last year and is off to an undefeated start to 2023 with wins against Bonita Vista and Francis Parker. The Crusaders remain the heavy favorite to win the Mesa League; they’re expected to have several players in contention for the individual championship.

Moreno, who lived in Mexico until her family moved to Chula Vista while in elementary school to ease her schedule, finished in the Top 12 in last year’s CIF individual finals. The 17-year-old is consumed by golf. She plays in national top-fight competitions throughout Mexico on the weekends. Then it’s back to work with coach Alex Valenzuela, who is in his 12th year with Mater Dei Catholic. Her busy schedule aligns with the obstacles her teammates face.

“It’s very tough on them, but this helps them build character, stronger minds and stronger bodies so they can overcome challenges,” Valenzuela said. “It’s unpleasant, but it helps them overcome situations when they play a bad hole or round.”

But why live such a lifestyle?

“It’s worth it. It really helps keep our game sharp as golfers,” said Moreno, who has verbally committed to play at Long Island University. “It’s a lot to endure. My golf game would not have improved in these very competitive matches. You have to manage your own time on the course. We have this daily routine and you have to be really committed. And I get to do it with my friends.”

Those friends include teammates senior Danica Williams, junior Alyssa Moncada, junior Diana Sanchez and sophomore Giselle Ortiz. They witness Moreno and the rest of the seniors endure daily tasks and still compete at a high level. After all, they’re the future of Mater Dei Catholic as underclassmen.

For now, the present involves a quest to another section title and State Championship run. Even if it means mostly living out of a vehicle.