Although it might be ironic to say I haven’t always been a golfer, it’s the truth. Before I became obsessed with the game of golf, I attempted many other things as I grew up. Now the first thing someone asks me about when I see them is how my golf game is. In fact, if you’re reading this article and know me personally, you probably aren’t shocked that I’m writing about golf. But hey let’s be honest, we all knew it was going to happen eventually. Alright, let’s get to it.

When I was five years old I begged my parents to sign me up for youth soccer because it’s what all of my friends were doing. Being the wonderful parents they are, they signed me up right away. I thoroughly enjoyed the game and being with friends. Eventually, I moved onto traveling soccer and played until the summer of my 7th-grade year.

During the years I played soccer, I also took up gymnastics and tee ball. I was a natural at gymnastics and excelled at a young age. However, it was simply too demanding for someone as young as I was at the time. I decided to focus on soccer instead.

My sister, Kelsey, also tried many other sports as a child. Soccer, volleyball, cheerleading. She wasn’t a natural athlete, so things didn’t come as easy for her. When she was a freshman in high school, she failed to make the cheer squad, so she signed up for golf at the last minute. Being in the middle of my soccer phase, I didn’t pay much attention to the fact that Kelsey was playing golf. As she continued to learn and grow as a golfer, I began to notice more and more about the sport.

The very first memories I have of golf are of me playing caddie for my sister and dad. I would sit in the back of our really really old golf cart and hand them their clubs, pretending I knew what I was doing. A lot of people who are passionate about a sport, remember the very first time they had a perfect kick, or basket, or shot. I don’t remember my very first good golf shot, but I remember how quickly I started to like it.

After begging my dad to sign me up for my first golf tournament, he finally gave in. It was a sunny June afternoon when I first realized just how hard golf really was. It was also the day my family and myself realized this was the sport for me. If you don’t know much about golf, the key to success is having the lowest score possible. Even par is your ultimate goal. Confident Monica shot a 92 on... nine holes. I repeat: nine holes. On the very first hole of competitive golf that I ever played, I shot a 17. It was an absolutely brutal day for not only me but for my parents who had to watch me suffer. I was in last place and realized how competitive golf was, even for a 12 year old girl. My mom and dad promised to support my decision no matter what it was. Would I continue to play this unfathomably difficult sport? Or would I go back to the other things that came easily to me?

This question was answered when I tossed my used set of golf clubs into my dad’s truck, hopped into the front seat, and demanded my dad sign me up for the next one. My dad chuckled, put the truck in reverse, and agreed to help me win the next one. Little did we know that that would be the start of a life-changing adventure.

At that point, I lost interest in all other sports. I decided to quit soccer and gymnastics and focus on golf. That was the best decision I’ve ever made. It was pretty convenient that at this time my sister decided to continue her golf career and play for the University of Wisconsin­Platteville. Whenever I got the chance to go out and play with my dad and sister, I took it. I wasn’t always allowed because Kelsey was taking this sport more seriously considering she would be playing it in college. To this day I still bring up the fact that the day my sister got her hole in one was one of the days I wasn’t allowed to go.

After Kelsey went to college, my dad had more time to focus on me, his next project. Not every day do you hear about a father who loves golf, having two daughters who play golf competitively. Therefore, he devoted all of his free time to my developing golf game. There is no way I will ever be able to repay him and my mother for all of the sacrifices they made for us, just so we could pursue this silly sport.

A few years passed and high school came. My golf game had improved immensely and people started to know who I was. As an incoming freshman I was extremely nervous to take my golf game to the next level. Although I had improved, I wasn’t necessarily the best. I never had been the best. That was the driving factor in my search for success. I didn’t want to improve to impress anybody but myself, and golf was the first thing that I truly did just for me. From the second I decided to focus on golf, no one has ever had to tell me that I needed to practice. I drove my parents crazy with requests of driving me to and from the golf course just so I could perfect each little thing. I dreamed of becoming a state champion, a college athlete, and one day a member of the LPGA tour.

According to what everyone was telling me, I had a pretty successful freshman year. I got 31st place at state and was ranked 2nd for my graduating class. I had never felt more proud of myself, but at the same time I wasn’t truly content.

After having such a good year as a freshman, I felt an immense amount of pressure on myself coming into my sophomore year. At the time I thought this pressure was coming from outside forces, but as I grew older I realized the pressure I felt was self­inflicted. I didn’t make it to state my sophomore year and it was the second most devastating moment of my life. Every single sacrifice I had made in the past year felt like it amounted to nothing.

Summer came and I decided that I wouldn’t let my failures keep me from being successful again. I’m a competitive person, so I knew I wasn’t going to go down without a fight. I now had my license and could drive myself to and from the golf course. I would wake up, go to the golf course, eat lunch, golf some more, and do the same thing every single day. And when I say every single day I’m not overexaggerating. The fall of my junior year was arguably my most successful year of high school golf. I came back stronger than I was before. The pain that my failure made me feel, fueled my urge to get better, and this time it turned me into an even better athlete and person. I won regionals for the second time, and placed 11th at state. Of course, that is an amazing achievement that I will always be proud of, but being the stubborn Monica that I am, I wasn’t very happy that I was one place short of receiving a state medal. One.

So there I was a soon to be senior, doing things the same way that I always had. Wake up, golf, eat, repeat. I was going to win state. That was the end goal from the very beginning. Every night I would fall asleep with the picture of me holding up that first place medal, hoping everything I work for would pay off.

During the summer before my senior year I played many golf tournaments like I normally do. They’re a perfect way for me to stay competitive and improve my play under pressure. Although I always talked about winning state, I also always talked about qualifying for an international golf tournament. I decided to attempt to qualify for the Optimist International golf tournament for the first time. Years prior to this, I was always hesitant because I felt as if I wasn’t quite ready for that level of competition. Despite my fears, I decided to sign up. I worked and worked and worked day in and day out, in order to qualify for the finals in Florida.

It was a rainy day in Marshalltown, Iowa when I truly realized how strong of a golfer I was. I haven’t always had confidence in myself and my golf game. However, that day in Iowa changed everything for me. I was just this girl from Illinois who nobody knew. The former Iowa state champion was there, along with 22 other amazing golfers. It rained, and it rained, and it rained. I saw the girls around me begin to lose focus because of the weather. I’m still not sure what changed in me that day, but I’m sure glad it happened. I played the best round of my life on a crappy golf course that was covered with rain. I won. I won by one stroke. I achieved one of my goals of making it to an international tournament. That was one of those moments where you know you’ll never forget how it made you feel. I was on top of the world and I’ve never felt more proud than I did at that very moment.

After attending the international finals in Florida, it was time to focus on high school golf again. I was back with a vengeance and wanted that state medal so badly. My swing never felt quite right during the season but I tried my best to play confidently. I ended up winning conference, regionals, and sectionals. This was my year, I could feel it. My swing was finally feeling good and state was a week away. As I sat in our mini van on our way down to state, I thought back on how far I’ve come as a golfer. I started as a little 12 year old girl who wasn’t even sure she liked golf. Now here I was, with 3 regional wins, 2 conference wins, a sectional win, and a division one golf scholarship. All that was missing was that little medal.

My swing was off, my mind wasn’t in the right place, and my confidence wasn’t there. I was so sad, so angry, and felt as if I let my team and community down. I played my two worst rounds of high school golf at state of my senior year. Nothing I had ever felt before could compare to this. I was so emotionally drained. Everything I worked for felt useless, and I didn’t feel like the same athlete I once was.

Although my high school career didn’t end how I hoped it would. I can now look back on things with a clearer view. Throughout my journey of becoming the golfer I am today, I used to only focus on the past and the future. The present didn’t receive my undivided attention. I now know that the only thing you can truly conquer is the present. Shortly after state, many people continually told me to focus on all of the other things I had accomplished.

It’s been a year, and I now truly understand the value of failure. Without it, I wouldn’t be the person or athlete I am today. Things aren’t always going to turn out the way you want them to, that’s simply the way life is. Sometimes it’s more important to focus on the things you have accomplished rather than the things you haven’t. No matter what sport you play, the most beneficial thing you could do for not only yourself but for your team, is to be positive. It’s crazy to think I almost didn’t play golf. Now here I am, sitting in my dorm room, as a Division I college athlete, trying to put into words how much a sport means to me. I am who I am today because of golf. Without it, I wouldn’t be Monica. However, I think the person who deserves the most credit is my sister, Kelsey. If she had made the cheerleading or volleyball team, she wouldn’t have even tried golf, and I wouldn’t have either. So thank you Kelsey, for introducing me to the game that changed my life.