Most athletes that compete at any level strive to be their best and reach their full potential. This is not just something that happens overnight, but instead it is from a lot of hard work and determination. Kennedy Parker knows what it takes to reach the place she wants to reach.
“To be successful in golf, it has taken many years of dedication, hard work, and lots of emotional development,” she said. “Along with the physical strength, you also need to have a strong mental foundation to be successful. Not only in sports but in everyday life. Being successful is what motivates me the most, which to me is to play well and have a positive attitude every tournament.”
Parker is a sophomore at Perkins-Tryon HIgh School, where she is the one bag on the golf team. She is also involved in HOSA, the National Technical Honor Society, and the National Honor Society.
Throughout her career of playing golf, Parker has made a lot of memories, both on and off teh course.
“The highlight of my golf career was getting the opportunity to go to the LPGA leadership conference at the PGA of America in Frisco, Texas,” she said. “It was such an amazing experience! I made new connections and got to learn so much about confidence and attitude both on and off the course.”
Kennedy has people in her life that have made an impact on her and helped shape her into the person that she is today.
“My role model is my aunt, Kylie,” she said. “She has been my biggest inspiration and motivation in my life. She pushes me to my limits even the ones I think I’m not capable of. She is such a light in my life and everyday she inspires me to keep going. I’m so grateful to have her. The teacher that has had the greatest impact on me is Mrs. Kincaid. She has taught me how to become more confident in my abilities, not only on the course but in life as well. She has also helped me become more outgoing. She’s been such a great role model to me and many others.”
The teammates that she competes alongside are a group that Kennedy is thankful for. She says that they do a great job of building each other up and helping each other improve.
“I enjoy working against all of them in practice,” she said. “We all push each other to do our best. We work together really well and have a good balance of competition and teamwork to help us score better. I’d say the least appreciated team members would be Hadley and Bristol. Since they are the freshmen and are replacing two of our previous players, it makes it hard to live up to the expectations. But they do it so incredibly well and we wouldn’t be where we are without them.”
