Joining the Brave golfers for her first year, Junior Alex Sheldrup contributed to a .500 regular season for the 2015-16 girls golf team. The Braves began the season with a hot start, following up their initial loss to Eastside Catholic with a 4 match win streak. Although the team’s spectacular play began to subside as the season moved into its second half, with the team dropping their next four consecutive games, the girls concluded the season on a high note with a 76-24 win over Nathan Hale. The Braves had 5 girls qualify for the Metro Championship match and 3 qualify for the Districts match in the Spring, Sheldrup included in both of those groups. I had the chance to sit down with Alex and reflect on the season with her remarkable rookie season.

Q: How long have you been playing golf? Who/What introduced you to golf?

A: “I didn’t start playing real golf until the start of August, so only about 4 months. It was mainly my dad who introduced me to golf, he had always wanted me to play. I also just thought it sounded like a fun experience and wanted to give it a shot.”

Q: Is this your first year playing for Blanchet? What inspired you to play for the school?

A: “Yes. Well I improved a lot over the month of August, and thought my game was good enough to where I could play for the school. I also saw it as a great opportunity to get involved with a new group at Blanchet and make new friends.”

Q: Had you ever played golf competitively before? What was that experience like the first time?

What did you to combat the nerves?

A: “No, I never had. It was super nerve wracking and I was pretty rattled, but it wasn’t anything I didn’t expect, I knew I would be nervous when the first match came around. For me, playing against better opponents and that sense of competition elevates my game and I tend to play better, so I knew I’d be alright. To stay calm I would just constantly remind myself to stay calm and keep a cool head. I also looked to my partner for support through the early course of the match and that definitely helped.”

Q: Is there a golfer (pro or not ) whose game you try to emulate? What do you admire about them?

A: “I don’t really follow professional golf, and I’m definitely not familiar with any of the pros. Two people whose games I try to emulate are my teammates’ Truly (Dorland) and Cameron (Cooper). What admired most about the two of them wasn’t necessarily their respective games, but more so how they were always humble when it came to the success that they both had throughout the season.”

Q: What is your favorite coarse/hole? Why, have you had any special experiences there?

A: “Again, I had never really played that much golf before August and even then I was pretty stationary, so all of the courses we played our matches at this season, those were my first experiences ever playing them. Reflecting on all of them, would say my favorite course was West Seattle. That was where we played our match for Metros, so that was definitely a cool experience that West Seattle will always remind me of.

Q: Do you have any pre-match rituals? What are they and how did you develop them?

A: Before our first two girls tee off, we have a team huddle where we put our hands together and do a silent, actually kind of awkward, hype-up “Go Braves” chant. I don’t remember whose idea the chant was, but I do remember Ms. Comfort telling us that we had to make it a “silent chant.” One off my rituals before I tee off is to check my balance and bend my knees three times. I also just tend to take a supper long time addressing the ball in the first tee box”

Q: You qualified for districts this year, was that a personal goal of yours or did that come as a humbling surprise?

A: “My goal for the season was to make it to the Metro tournament, so that in itself was a pretty awesome feeling. Qualifying for districts with a doubt came as a humbling surprise and it will definitely be motivation of mine to make it back next season.”

Q: Do you plan on continuing your career with Blanchet next year? Are you looking to see any personal or team improvements next season?

A: “Yes, of course, I had so much fun this year. I want to see myself qualify for districts again next as a personal improvement and I’d love to see a bigger number of girls make it to the metro tournament as a team improvement next season.”