Future Friday: Q&A with Bess (Bowers) Barnes
11/6/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Nov. 6, 2015
Former U-M golfer Bess Barnes (with daughter Addison and husband John) is now a TV executive.
A four-year member of the University of Michigan women's golf team (1999-2002), Bess (Bowers) Barnes sat down to speak about her experiences at Michigan. During her time with the women's golf team, Barnes and her teammates clawed their way up from 10th place in the Big Ten in 1999 to third place in 2002, with a No. 17 ranking nationally. Today Barnes is Vice President of College Sports Programming for CBS Corporation and as grateful to be a Michigan Wolverine as ever.
Q. What did the University of Michigan mean to you?
A. My experience at Michigan helped shape who I am and where I am in my life. The University provided me with a rich education in the classroom and on the golf course, but also through student life. There is also an incredibly special bond between fellow Wolverines, whether or not you were in Ann Arbor at the same time. I am constantly meeting other alumni across the country, and we are all so proud to be Wolverines. Of course, being a student-athlete and having to manage coursework and the responsibilities associated with being a part of the golf team prepared me tremendously for the real world.
Q. You were part of a historic run that laid the foundation for what the program has become today. Have you thought about that significance? What does that mean to you?
A. I have a lot of pride for what our team accomplished, especially the group of women in my class. We took a program that had finished 11th out of 12 teams in the Big Ten Championships in 1998 to 17th in the country in 2002. I recall very early on talking with some of my teammates, most of whom were incredibly successful before coming to Michigan (winning state titles and national junior tournaments) and saying to each other that we didn't like being at the bottom of the leaderboard. You come to Michigan and you're surrounded by champions and that drives you to be a champion too. We worked incredibly hard to achieve what we did, and I think we are all very proud. I have a poster of the team from the 2001-02 season hanging in my office along with the golf flag commemorating our team's victory in the 2001 Wolverine Invitational. People are more impressed with those items than my souvenir flags from U.S. Opens, British Opens and The Masters.
Q. You were part of the program's only run to the NCAA Finals as a senior. What do you remember about that 2001-02 season?
A. It was an incredibly special season. We set high expectations for ourselves, having won tournaments the prior season with the same group of players. We had a lot of experience and knew what it took to succeed. We had some ups and downs over the years and even during the season, but we knew we had all the pieces to make it to the NCAAs. We were competitive with each other, which made the team better. I didn't even make the travel squad for a few tournaments in the fall, which I had never experienced in my career. That fueled me to play better, because I didn't want to miss out on what was going to be a great team. Although Michigan has a strong history of winning athletic programs, we were at a bit of a disadvantage in the national landscape for golf because at least three months out of the year our golf course was covered in snow. I think we surprised some people -- but not ourselves -- when we had such a great year. I hope that proves that geography shouldn't hold the team back from success.
Q. Are you still in touch with the members of that team?
A. Yes. Some more than others, but social media certainly makes it easier these days. Cortney Reno was maid of honor in my wedding, so that just shows that bond that's formed between teammates. These are women that will always be special to me and are responsible for my best memories from those years.
Q. What was the strength of your game?
A. I was a consistent player, so I could always be relied on to turn in a solid score. I didn't usually shoot very low (Kim Benedict and Cortney Reno could do that), but I almost never shot very high. If the conditions were tough, which they frequently were in Big Ten territory during the spring, I was able to bear down and turn in a decent score for the team.
Michigan at the 2002 NCAA Women's Golf Championships (from left): LeAnna Wicks, Laura Olin, Cortney Reno, Kim Benedict, Misia Lemanski, Bess Bowers.
Q. What are you most memorable golf moments?
A. There are a lot of great moments, but I have two that stick out the most. The first is from the Big Ten tournament at Illinois my senior year. The conditions were miserable -- 40 degrees and 30 mph wind. From 150 yards out you're either hitting a 3-wood or a lob wedge. We were hitting it all over the course, and I remember taking off my shoes and socks to climb into a creek to hit my ball. We managed to finish third in the conference, our best in my four years. I remember walking off the course and thinking "I'm never playing in conditions like that ever again." Of course, playing in the NCAAs, competing at that level with the best players and teams in the country, was the highlight of my career. I was in the zone, because I knew this was my last competition and I wanted to go out strong.
Q. What are some of your fondest memories from Michigan off the course?
A. One of my greatest moments was standing on the football field on a cold November day holding the M Club banner as our football team ran onto the field. That's something you cannot experience anywhere else, and it gives me the chills to this day just thinking about it.
Q. What are some of your fondest athletic memories?
A. Our team had an amazing bond, which was forged through long road trips in 15-passenger vans throughout the Midwest. I have great memories of all of us singing Lionel Richie at the top of our lungs in Iowa. Coach (Kathy) Teichert thought we were crazy.
Q. Do you follow the program today?
A. I do keep an eye on the program, especially because (head coach) Jan (Dowling) played for Kent State at the same time that I was at Michigan. I think she's a great coach and am excited about where she's taking the program.
Q. Can you discuss what your career is now?
A. I am the Vice President for College Sports Programming at CBS Sports and CBS Sports Network. I spend a lot of my time working closely with the NCAA, collegiate conferences and individual schools to schedule college football and college basketball games on our broadcast and cable networks. This includes SEC football, regular-season and NCAA tournament basketball, as well as some Olympic sports, such as baseball and lacrosse. I am a huge fan of college sports, so I'm fortunate that I spend every day working on something I love.
Q. What's it like being a Wolverine who was raised in Indiana?
A. I grew up in a Big Ten family. Both of my parents attended Ohio State and my father taught at Indiana University. My father actually encouraged me to look at Michigan because he knew it fit what I was looking for -- a strong academic and athletic experience. We have a healthy rivalry within our family, but we do support the Big Ten as a whole. My husband is a South Bend native and Notre Dame grad, and we debate which school our daughter will cheer for, but we both respect each other's alma mater and enjoy watching college sports together. The passion that we all have for our schools is what I love most about college sports. I look forward to our kids enjoying it as much as we have. And if they turn out to be Michigan fans too, all the better.
The 2015-16 academic year marks the 150th anniversary of Michigan Athletics. We invite the University of Michigan family to celebrate the passion that fuels us, rediscover the stories and traditions that unite us, and imagine what the future holds for us. We look forward to celebrating "This Michigan of Ours." To share a memory of Michigan Athletics, please fill out our online form or email goblue150@umich.edu.
