She stances up as she prepares to hit the ball off the tee, firmly grasping her club. She calms down, trying to not focus on the crowd. She only has one thought on her mind: securing the ball in the hole. She steadies her breathing and in one fluid motion drives the ball into the hole.

Since she was a young girl, junior Ashlee Johnson has been dedicated to the sport of golf. She practices each day in order to improve her skills and become a professional player. With the help of her mom, she was able to start her golf career.

“My motivation is my family,” Johnson said. “I see where they struggle and I know if I can succeed in golf, I can surpass them and show them that our family still has hope. My coach shows me where I could be, where I am now and what I need to get there.”

Johnson’s friends and family have witnessed the effort she puts into the sport every day. Because of their support, she stays motivated to improve her skills and scores.

“[She is] very dedicated [and] she spends the majority of her time playing golf, practicing [and] going to the games,” junior Lauren Pepper said. “I say good luck [before every match]. If she feels like she did bad that day, I’ll say ‘You know, you can do better next time; just improve on what you think you did bad on.’ Honestly, I don’t think she ever does really bad, she just [says] ‘I could have gotten one more thing.’”

Johnson enjoys getting to know her competitors to help everyone on the team improve on what is necessary. Through the competitions she has with her teammates, she has improved in her yards and her scores.

“I’ve been playing golf for a long time,” Johnson said. “I see where other girls have played golf and I see their attitude about golf. They see it as a sport to compete with others, [but I see] it as a sport to get to know others to help boost them. We’re a team. I used to be in the 100’s which was terrible, but over the years I’ve gotten stronger [and now] I can drive farther. I can drive 150 yards past other girls.”

Her coach assures she’s a wonderful person and knows she will work hard in order to accomplish her goals. Though she has been playing the sport since she was little, she still believes she can improve in the years to come.

“She’s been playing for a long time,” head golf coach Julie Lowrey said. “She’s a great kid, great personality, smiles every day [and she’s] happy. Not much gets to her. [She’s a] hard worker and knows what she wants to accomplish and she has her goals.”

Johnson hopes to continue playing golf in the future to make it her career and help her family. Golf has opened multiple paths for Johnson and helped her with school by aiding her to achieve the goals she has for the future.

“Golf is my future,” Johnson said. “I can play golf in high school [and] I’ll play golf in college. It’s going to get me scholarships [and] it’s going to get me where I need to be. I’ll play pro if I can.”