"Today is the greatest day of your lives." -Doug Hendricks

In high school being on multiple sports team meant nothing more than going to practice and dressing up on game days. I was spread out between two sports with interest in both but not enough. So little interest that I almost quit both sports going into college. Not only did I think I wasn't good enough to play at the college level, I also wasn't sure which sport to chose if I did. Thankfully, senior year I had a change of heart and took an offer to play at the collegiate level. When I followed my heart and chose to continue my career as a collegiate athlete, I didn't realize I was making a decision that would forever change my life.

When I came to college, I never thought that being on the golf team would really mean much. Since high school sports were kind of a thrown together joke, I thought little of athletics in general. Don't get me wrong I worked hard on my game going into my freshman year, I just didn't know what to expect once on the team. I wasn't in on all the details of who we played or where and when I was just hoping to play well enough to travel. The only thing I knew about being on this team is that it would make me a better athlete. I didn't know it would make me a better friend, listener and more passionate person altogether. I guess I have my teammates for that, without them I would be lacking endless laughs and irreplaceable memories as well as a newfound passion for golf.

It's the memories my teammates made outside of practice and matches that truly have made being on my team so incredible. When our spring break golf trip gave us snow, we embraced the winter conditions with laughter and earmuffs. The times inside jokes we have with our coach and with each other, bootleg, Texas.. and all the other times we've called out the freshman. All of our team dinners at each other's houses. Having a new theme song each year, and playing it the first time our team won a tournament. This spring our team took huge strides as far as shooting lower scores, which has strengthened our team bond drastically. It's boosted the team's confidence to go to regionals in the future, which is somewhere we know we can go only if we continue to be a great team.

I always knew what it took to be a good teammate but never knew what a great team looked like, and now I know what it is. It's encouraging each other to reach new heights on and off the field. Being a great team takes passion inspired from one another, and truly believing in your team. A great team is strong because no one has to doubt their place or question their position. A great team takes every player showing up and staying focused. It's looking forward to the future because the team knows that anything can happen, and anything is possible. But the most important part of a great team is knowing that the best part of each of our days is being together. That's a team bond that takes time but once it's there, there is no holding a great team back.