by by Rosemary Stephens, C & A Tribal Tribune, Editor-in-Chief
Each morning five-yearold Vincent Alexander Aispuro doesn’t run to the television to watch cartoons. Instead, dressed in his golf attire, wearing his lucky University of Oklahoma (OU) baseball cap, Vincent heads to his backyard to practice hitting golf balls. “He gets up and automatically just gets dressed and goes out back to start hitting golf balls … before breakfast, before anything,” Delores “D” Howlingwater, Vincent’s grandmother said. “Its like, ‘where you going Vincent’ and he says ‘outside to hit golf balls’ … all on his own and he’s been doing that since he was able to walk.”
Vincent first began hitting balls with plastic clubs when he was 15 months old and has been hitting them ever since. Charles Howlingwater, Vincent’s grandfather, began playing golf seven years ago. “I would be watching the golf station with Vincent in my lap and he would sit for hours with me and watch golf,” Charles said. “Everyone knows who he is at the Watonga Golf Course and a lot of people are impressed by him.”
When sitting in his high chair, Vincent would sit and stare out the window at his grandpa hitting golf balls or he would be watching thegolf station his mother, Alicia said. “I really didn’t believe Vincent would stay interested (in golf) but his interest has only grown,” Alicia said. “I play with dad and Vincent sometimes and I never thought he would be this good … I am so very proud of him.”She laughingly said she is right-handed but golfs left-handed and, “Vincent always tells me that I golf backwards.”
Vincent said he looked forward to the golf scrambles at the Watonga Golf Course that he and his grandpa play three and four times a week. Vincent doesn’t keep score, nor does he count his strokes, but said what he likes the best is “hitting my ball far with my driver.” Vincent can tell you the name of every club in his black and red OU golf bag, his favorite golfer is “Tiger Woods because he hits so many hole in ones,” and when asked if his grandpa was his best friend, his reply was, “Grandpa isn’t my best friend, he’s my golfing buddy.”
When Alicia’s cousin, Carrie Whitlow, called and told her about the Jim Thorpe Games coming to Oklahoma City they immediately tried to register Vincent to play, however he did not meet the age requirement.Vincent said what he loves the best about summer is getting to play golf with his grandpa he proudly showed off his new golf tees.
Vincent, Cheyenne, Arapaho, is the great grandson of Marie Whiteman, the grandson of Delores and Charles Howlingwater and the son of Alicia and Alfonso Aispuro. He has a younger sister, Avery, who he said, “I like to play with her and I help to take care of her.” Vincent confidently talks about the different holes at the Watonga Golf Course and said he knew everyone there.“I have seen Vincent play with Charles a lot … he is fun to watch. He enjoys playing golf and its nice to see a young kid like that out there hitting the ball and hitting it well,” Brian Ivins, Watonga Golf Course manager said. “He shows a lot of talent. He’s young right now and free willed and can swing the club. Hopefully he will go far.”
Vincent’s grandpa, Charles, said if Vincent received an education from playing golf, then it would all be worth it, “I used to play by myself all the time and always wished I had someone to play with … then the good Lord brought me Vincent.”
Vincent can be seen playing golf on youtube.com below:
(Story provided to us by the Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribal Tribune and can be seen with other stories @ http://www.c-a-tribes.org/Websites/michaelwood/images/Newspapers/newspaper_2012/June_1_2012.pdf)
