TOLEDO, Ohio — The sport of golf can lead to a pretty hectic travel schedule at times. Earlier this month, St. Ursula Academy sophomore Sydney Socha experienced that reality thanks in part to her skill.
What many professional athletes endure, this young star aced.
"It was absolutely phenomenal, a big rush for sure and it's hard to catch up with the moment," Socha said. "All the hard work that was put in the summer really paid off all at once. Really amazing to see."
From Oct. 5-9, Socha spent time in San Francisco, California representing Toledo's own First Tee-Lake Erie.
"My biggest takeaway was all the workshops that we did," Socha said. "Maintaining strong mentorships, networking and just building one's self."
Associate director Michael Prothe has known her since she joined the program.
"It's big for her and big for us as a chapter," Prothe said. "It's the first one that we've sent in a while, there's a couple when we first started. Really though it's the first person we've sent to a national First Tee opportunity."
Socha went through a vigorous application process before being selected. For the five days out west, she both grew and competed amongst the select few.
"We hope that she is the start for a lot of kids to get this opportunity. She was one of 24 throughout the country, all First Tee participants, to be selected out of a group of around 100," Prothe said. "We nominated Sydney because we thought she'd be a great fit. You have to be a certain age over 13 years old and have a certain golf skill."
That talent not only paved the way for her to travel alone for the first time, but in turn made for an interesting 24 hours.
"The day I came back, I was able to unpack all my stuff and then go to districts the next day bright and early," Socha said. "The rush was definitely amazing, but the jet lag got me in the end."
The rising Arrow star ended up shooting a round of 85 at Stone Ridge Golf Club in Bowling Green to finish tied for 8th place. A result that helped St. Ursula punch their third straight ticket to State, and 22nd overall.
"I'm so proud and am so honored, my team has been amazing and we have an amazing coach," Socha said. "I'm so grateful to have everybody who has supported me through my journey to be able to get me to this day. This weekend has all been worth it."
She will be making her first appearance at the OHSAA State Tournament on Friday when she tees off at 9:10 a.m. on the Gray course of Ohio State University.
Whether portraying her high school or First Tee, Socha's quick turnaround exemplifies the amazing development she's garnered through links play.
"I used to do a lot of the coaching here at First Tee. When she started, she didn't have clubs and was in my class," Prothe said. "She always came with a smile, always came ready. So it's really cool to see her get bit by the golf bug."
She will also soon be traveling to Jacksonville, Florida, for another First Tee event.
Sydney Socha is WTOL 11's Athlete of the Week sponsored by Dave's Running.
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