Visual Impairment Doesn’t Deter Stellar Rutgers–Camden Athlete

CAMDEN - A game of extreme precision, golf depends profoundly on one’s ability to accurately pinpoint a target. Perfect vision would seem instrumental for success. Junior golfer Dave Taraschi proves otherwise. He leads the Scarlet Raptors’ current average (76.1) and the program’s record score (69), without use of 75% of the vision in his left eye. The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) has also taken notice of the Haddonfield resident’s accomplishments on and off the greens. On Sunday, Sept. 28, the economics major will be honored with the prestigious ECAC Award of Valor.

According to Rutgers–Camden Golf Coach Robert Cardea, Taraschi is an inspirational player. “Golf is a game that requires depth perception of the highest magnitude, maybe more than any other sport.  One yard/foot here or there from 200 yards away can destroy a round. Yet Dave plays at the highest level,” says Cardea. The 14-year Rutgers-Camden golf coach is also quick to note the team’s overall success, like breaking the school’s team record of 297 during the Lebanon Valley College Fall Invitational on Sept. 22.

“This team is loaded with tremendous athletes,” says Cardea, who also helps Rutgers to manage the Camden County Golf Academy driving range, where the team  practices on Wednesday nights.

Since he was about 13 years old, Taraschi has been playing golf. He credits his father for getting him hooked on the sport.  It’s the love of the game and sheer motivation to continue playing competitively after a 2007 accident that resulted in a scratched cornea which requires routine care at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia.

“It’s still a struggle, but I’ve learned to get past that. It was a rough year and a half,” the Haddonfield Memorial graduate notes. “I have to try harder with one eye. It’s hard enough to play with two.”

After Taraschi completes his undergraduate degree at Rutgers–Camden,  he aims to play on the PGA Tour. And he’s on his way to making that goal a reality. Last spring, he missed qualifying for the US Open by just one stroke.

“Most players would have packed it in after something like this, but Dave’s resolve is even stronger,” adds Cardea.

Taraschi is joined by student athletes from Dartmouth College, Brown University, and the University of Rhode Island with the ECAC award that honors athletes for their courage, motivation, and relentless determination.

For more information about Taraschi and the Rutgers–Camden golf team, visit athletics.camden.rutgers.edu/golf/golf.html.

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