She threw up halfway through the day. It was the first time she had to tap out of a tournament.
That became one of the hardest golf tournaments of her life.
“I was halfway through the tournament, not feeling good and had to go throw up,” junior and varsity golf captain Kennedy Claytor said. “Coach Aranda was so nice about it, and I think the hardest thing was tapping out of something. Just the fact that Aranda was so caring about it really helped me [out] and made me realize that sometimes I can put myself first.”
For Claytor, being captain isn’t about the awards or the ease of each tournament, but the commitment to a sport she loves.
“Golf is a great sport,” Claytor said. “It doesn’t seem very athletic, but during tournaments, we walk like 10 to 15 miles. Every single tournament. You’re either carrying your own clubs or pushing them. It’s very physical and it gets you really active.”
Although Claytor describes golf as a physically challenging sport, other aspects of it test her abilities as well, including making sure Bellaire’s golf team stays united.
“Being captain is pretty stressful sometimes,” Claytor said. “It’s hard to get the whole team together for these things, because golf is a very separate sport. We don’t play together, and we don’t practice together that much. It’s hard to form a relationship with all the girls.”
Claytor focuses not only on teamwork, but also how to be a good leader. She focuses on forming relationships with her team, as she knows that the best way to lead is to be comfortable with the people you are working with.
“Some of my best friends [are people] I’ve met through golf,” Claytor said, “It really makes you close, because driving out to tournaments is two hours that you’re with [that person].”
Although playing sports can mean devoting less time to academics, Claytor has figured out a schedule balancing between golf and school throughout the season.
“I prioritized golf,” Claytor said. “It was kind of hard to keep up with the school work last year because I was also captain last year, so it was hard doing all the tournaments.”
While Claytor is busy organizing the golf team, golf coach Jorge Aranda monitors from the sidelines to ensure that everything is working out for her. Aranda acknowledges that, although being captain has given Claytor a full plate, she handles it well.
“She’s very good at delegating,” Aranda said. “She’ll have one or two people that help her out, pass out their responsibilities, but overall, she’ll be in charge to make sure they get it done.”
Although Aranda notes that golf is a big workload for Claytor, the rest of the team also has high standards they are measured against.
“It’s not as easy as just saying that you want to play golf,” Aranda said. “You really have to be able to swing the club and actually know the proper etiquette rules before getting started. We do have the beginner team, but they’re beginners, like they’ve never swung before. But for JV and varsity, you really have to be on your game to be on those teams.”
Although making the varsity team took effort from Claytor, her parents have always been her biggest fans, and she knows they’re always excited to watch her grow with golf.
“I was thrilled because I love golf,” Claytor’s mother Allison Claytor said. “I think it’s super fun, but I also used to work in the hotel business, and being able to take clients out to play golf was just such a wonderful bonding experience as an adult.”
Kennedy has found that golf is a community and a sport that deserves to be cherished by many.
“Golf has changed my high school life,” said Kennedy. “Without golf, I wouldn’t be playing sports. Coming into high school, playing golf was the first sport I’ve ever played. Even though we don’t have a huge team, I still feel like the relationships that I’ve made and the people that I’ve met through it have drastically changed my high school life.”
