JEFF FIELDER Editor
SCOTTSBLUFF – Anna Kelley, a freshman on Scottsbluff High School’s girls golf team, is this week’s Nspire Today! Female Athlete of the Week, sponsored by Kristy Culek Agency, LLC-American Family Insurance. Kelley tied for second place in the Class B state tournament, and her performance helped the Bearcats win the state team title. In the first round at state, she shot a season-best 76. In addition to golf, Kelley plans to participate in basketball and soccer. She has one brother, Nate, who is 12. Her parents are Jane and Chris Kelley.
Q: How excited were you to tie for runner-up at state?
KELLEY: “It was really exciting. I didn’t think I could place that high since I’m only a freshman, but it shows what I can do. I want to win it in the future.”
Q: What was your goal going into the tournament?
KELLEY: “I wanted to win it as a team. But [for a personal goal], I wanted to place in the top 10.”
Q: How do you feel you played both days of the tournament?
KELLEY: “I feel like I played my best ever because I was playing with the best people I’ve played with all year. I played with a senior who’s going D-1, and she really showed me what I have to do to win a state championship.”
Q: How nervous were you going into the tournament?
KELLEY: “I was really nervous because I had really high expectations for myself.”
Q: You shot a 76 on the first day at state. What were you hoping to shoot going into the tournament?
KELLEY: “I knew I could shoot low going in; I just had to stay focused and play my game.”
Q: Were you surprised to see yourself so high on the leaderboard after the first day at state?
KELLEY: “I was really surprised because there were a lot of really good golfers there. I shot really good the first day, so going into the second day, I knew I had to keep playing consistent so I wouldn’t go down on the leaderboard.”
Q: Playing as well as you did at state, what does that do for your confidence moving forward?
KELLEY: “For next year, I’m going to try to win it all. The girl who got first is a senior, and the other girls who [tied for second] are seniors, too. So, it shows that maybe next year I can win it.”
Q: Let’s talk about the team’s accomplishment. How did it feel to bring home the state championship trophy?
KELLEY: “It was really exciting because we were the underdog. But we worked really hard, and our team chemistry was great. I think that’s what helped us.”
Q: Did you feel like the team title would come down to Scottsbluff and Gering?
KELLEY: “Yes. We knew we were going to be really close. The top three teams that placed at state were all in our district, and we knew we could beat all of them if we all played our game.”
Q: How good did it feel to keep the tradition of success going for the Scottsbluff girls golf team at state?
KELLEY: “It felt good. We hadn’t won in a couple years, so it felt good to win again and show that we’re going to be good for the next few years.”
Q: Do you feel like the team played its best at state?
KELLEY: “Yes. It really came down to our third and fourth golfers. They played really well and shot one of their best scores.”
Q: When the season started in August, did you and your teammates think that winning a state team championship would be possible this year?
KELLEY: “No. We didn’t think we would ever be able to beat Gering. In our first tournament, we got smoked by them. They have some really good golfers, so we didn’t think we would be able to come close to them. But after the first time we beat them – in the second tournament of the year – we knew [winning state] was a possibility.”
Q: What was the biggest key that helped Scottsbluff perform so well this season?
KELLEY: “I think it was our team chemistry. We became really, really good friends, and that really helped us through the whole season.“
Q: Have the girls on the team already started talking about goals for next year?
KELLEY: “Yes. I want to win the state championship as a team all four years of my career. I think we can do it.”
Q: How many years have you been playing golf?
KELLEY: “I’ve been playing since I was really, really little.”
Q: How did you get involved with golf?
KELLEY: “My mom and dad have always played golf, so they helped me get started when I was really little.”
Q: Have you always been passionate about golf?
KELLEY: “Yes. None of my friends really did it, so at first I thought, ‘Well, maybe I should play volleyball.’ But then I knew I could be good at golf so I stuck with it.”
Q: Now that the golf season has ended, has your focus shifted to basketball yet?
KELLEY: “Yes. I’ve started practicing and working on my shot. But this winter, I’m still going to work on my golf swing at the Field of Dreams.”
Q: What are your goals for the basketball season?
KELLEY: “I’m going to try to make it on the JV/varsity squad and, hopefully, we’ll go to the state tournament.”
Q: How good do you think Scottsbluff will be this basketball season?
KELLEY: “We’re going to be really good. We’ve traveled together all summer, and we have good team chemistry. I think we have a good chance to make it to the state tournament.”
Q: I know you’re also planning to play soccer in the spring. Which sport do you enjoy the most?
KELLEY: “I’ve really liked basketball, but now that I did so good in golf, I’m really liking golf.”
Q: Do you watch golf on TV very often?
KELLEY: “Yes, I watch the PGA Tour.”
Q: Is there a professional golfer you like to follow?
KELLEY: “I like Jordan Spieth. He’s a really good guy.”
Q: How is your freshman year of school going so far?
KELLEY: “It’s going good. It’s kind of going by fast. It’s hard to believe my first golf season is over and now it’s on to basketball.”
Q: What is your favorite class this school year?
KELLEY: “I like math. I’ve always been pretty strong in math.”
Q: Outside of sports, what do you like to do for fun?
KELLEY: “I love to go snow skiing.”
Q: Where do you like to go snow skiing?
KELLEY: “We go to Steamboat.”
Q: Are you a pretty good skier?
KELLEY: “Yes, I guess. I’ve been skiing since I was little.”
Q: Up this point in your educational career, which teacher has made the biggest influence on you?
KELLEY: “I would say my seventh-grade social studies teacher, Mr. Zach Boness. He was also an assistant coach for the boys basketball team for a while. He really taught me some good life lessons and some good basketball lessons.”
Q: In your opinion, who is the kindest person at Scottsbluff High School?
KELLEY: “I would say the senior and junior on my golf team, Carson Hauschild and Halle Shaddick. I was the only freshman on the team, and they really made me feel included. We became really good friends.”
Q: What have you enjoyed the most about growing up in the Scottsbluff community?
KELLEY: “I love how we’re all really close, and we have good sports teams.”
Q: Are you involved in any other activities besides sports?
KELLEY: “I’m in FCA.”
Q: Why do you like being in FCA?
KELLEY: “I just like how you can play sports through God’s way. Before every golf tournament, we huddled and prayed, and I think that really helped us.”
Q: Are you part of a church youth group as well?
KELLEY: “Yes. We go to St. Francis Church in Scottsbluff.”
Q: What is your favorite TV show?
KELLEY: “I would have to say All American.”
Q: What is your favorite holiday?
KELLEY: “Christmas.”
Q: What is your favorite local restaurant?
KELLEY: “I’m big on Taco de Oro.”
Q: If you could give a shoutout to one local business, which one would it be and why?
KELLEY: “I would say either Kelley Bean or B&C Steel because for golf, they sponsored us and gave us shirts and jackets. It really helped us.”
If you would like to nominate someone for Nspire Today!’s Athletes of the Week, sponsored by Kristy Culek Agency, you may do so by sending an email to jeff.fielder@nspiretoday.com or by mailing a letter to Nspire Today!, P.O. Box 454, Scottsbluff, NE 69363. Nominations may also be submitted by sending a text to 308-220-8865.
In addition to being recognized online, athletes of the week will also be recognized in Nspire Today! magazine. To sign up for a one-year subscription (12 issues) to the magazine, please send $15 to Nspire Today!, P.O. Box 454, Scottsbluff, NE 69363. To pay with a credit card, please call 308-220-8865. If you would like to increase your subscription to $20, Nspire Today! will donate the extra $5 in October to the Panhandle Humane Society.
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