(Special guest blog by DU freshman Meg Alumno)
I don’t handle pressure very well. If ever asked me to sink a one footer, no break, just straight into the cup; my mind would stutter for a second then attempt the task. The result would most likely be fifty-fifty.
The mystery of my life is whether I can complete the task at hand to my best ability. The challenge of my first season as a collegiate athlete was to complete every task I was handed, and that was a struggle.
I stepped into the life of a college athlete with goals. I wanted to be that person that had travelled to every single tournament throughout her four years of collegiate golf. I wanted to beat my low score of 73, one over par. I wanted to maintain a great GPA. I wanted to win a collegiate tournament by my senior year, and last but not least, I wanted to make it to Nationals individually and as a team multiple times.
At this point, anything was possible.
Getting into the routine of school, practice, homework, and sleep wasn’t hard to get use to, but adding travelling into the mix, threw my first few weeks for a whirl. I had never had to really manage my time wisely. I was use to high school golf with not important classes and summer golf with no classes at all.
I wanted my first semester freshman year to be my best performance academically and athletically. And going into our first tournament, I seemed to have them both under control. I had gotten into the sorority of my choice and had gotten off a solid summer performance. Yet once we got past our first tournament (Drury Invitational), things slowly went downhill on terms of my time management skills.
Soon enough, that vision of a high GPA was slipping through my fingers. I never realized how big of a dent lack of attendance would make. Don’t get me wrong; I went to all my classes, but with tournaments occurring on Sunday, Monday, or Tuesdays, it didn’t really help my case.
With my grades struggling, so did my performance on the course. All I could think about were my classes, my grades, my friends, my family, and that darn scorecard. There was no doubt about it, I was stressing out. It was to that point where I even asked Coach to talk about me wanting to miss a tournament so I could catch up on schoolwork.
Throughout the season, I had this image of Coach in my mind. To me, she was stern, competitive, and relentless. I knew walking into the meeting that she wasn’t going to back down without a fight, but I had a game plan. It was to let her know everything I was feeling and thinking before she could say anything.
But like most of the plans I make, it didn’t go my way, yet I left the meeting surprisingly happy. She compromised with me. That week she gave me more time to study and focus on school before our weekend trip to St. Louis, and re-assured me that I could and would make it through this fall semester just fine and I did just that.
Finishing this semester, I’ve learned and accomplished quite a lot. I learned that the Drury Women’s golf team is a force to be reckoned with, and this spring season, all teams in our path should get ready.
I finally beat my low score.
I learned that compromise and time management are the keys to success, and after a month into school, I finally stepped foot into the Olin Library.
I cannot wait to see what the future brings our team. I know that greatness is in our path, and I hope you’ll be able to witness it.
