The first year of high school for many students is an opportunity to not only find new things to do and experience, but also a chance to continue and build upon things previously enjoyed. Freshman Leah Heischmidt used her freshman year to continue playing golf, as she had as a child, but went in with the goal of making friends, being able to manage everything and growing in the process.

“I’ve played golf since around fifth grade,” Heischmidt said. “I played CYC [Christian Youth Channel] through my old school, but for high school I was excited to meet all of the girls because they’re all so nice, and all so welcoming.”

Since Heischmidt had previously played golf and made the team when she tried out this year, and she found that the biggest struggle was playing against the upperclassmen.

“We have rankings for who we get to play with, and I was number one, so I played against juniors and seniors,” Heischmidt said. “And I’m a freshman so I was just like ‘uhhh.’”

Heischmidt looked forward to meeting the girls, and she formed many friendships throughout the season. Her favorite memories were from bonding with her teammates.

“Leah is valuable as a teammate because she is very good at golf and helps our team scores,” freshman teammate Chloe Perkins said. “As a player she’s calm and easy going, and as a friend Leah is funny, kind and fun to be around.”

Heischmidt hopes to play golf for the rest of high school. With her dad’s encouragement and her desire to continue playing, she thinks it makes the most sense. Going into the next few years she hopes to make it to sectionals and continue to improve her skills.

“My favorite thing about golf is the sportsmanship,” Heischmidt said. “Everyone is usually kind of nice to play with so it’s not there’s any bad environment with anyone. It’s just a good environment to be in.”