By: Staff Writer Mustafa Ahmed
Junior Vijay Srinivasan represented California in the Trusted Choice Big “I” National Championship golf tournament. Srinivasan finished as the best player from California. The Smoke Signal interviewed Srinivasan to talk about what he does to be a successful golfer.
The Smoke Signal: How long have you been playing golf?
Vijay Srinivasan: I’ve been playing for about four years.
SS: What do you attribute your success to?
VS: I practice really hard and I enjoy it. I’m motivated to play golf. It was a way to relieve stress and have fun at first, but then I began to like it more, and then I got better at it, and then I started to get more serious about the sport. So now it’s more about putting in the hard work.
SS: How do you plan on carrying on your success?
VS : Right now I’m just going to continue what I am doing, and I’m talking to a couple of colleges right now for golf scholarships. I also have a half-sponsorship from a professional company. I want to stay on the West Coast and so far I’ve talked to Oregon, Oregon State, Arizona, Arizona State, and Pepperdine. I’m hoping to get exposure to more colleges.
SS: How did you train for this golf competition?
VS: Soccer keeps me conditioned. It doesn’t seem like golf needs much conditioning, but soccer helps a lot because it strengthens your legs, so it definitely helps a lot. I practice golf everyday no matter what; it doesn’t matter if there’s school and I have tests the next day or if it’s the weekend. I never go a day without practicing unless I’m feeling really sick.
SS: Is there anything you would like to say to your fellow athletes who play on the golf team?
VS: We have a really good team. There’s a lot of good players this year so I guess we just need to continue practicing and doing well. I think it’s important to keep a positive attitude while you’re out there. You’re going to have bad days when you play poorly, but you can’t let that bother you that much.
SS: As captain of the golf team, what would you say your responsibilities are?
VS: In practice I try to organize the team when Coach Cain can’t. If they are messing around I tell them to stop or I try to set an example for them to follow.
SS: What tips can you give regarding golf to other golf players?
VS: What I see when a lot of other kids practice is that when they practice, [even] if they are trying to get better, they’re not; a lot of them are just there for fun but they’re not really getting better. They’re just fooling around. I guess that happens in a lot of sports. If you practice more seriously, you’ll probably do better than someone who just goofs off.
Photo Credits: Staff Writer Mustafa Ahmed
