Athletes of the Month

Stepping up to the Tee: Gregg Schindler Female Athlete of the Month, Lindsey Kerr discusses her place on the J.W. Mitchell High golf team throughout the season.

By Ashley Hoskins

After picking up her first club about six years ago, Lindsey Kerr now strives for success as she often looks up to the upperclassmen while remaining number one on the team. As a member of the varsity girls’ golf team, creating endless bonds and memories with her fellow teammates remains very important to Kerr, as it is something that she values.

“Everyone is so close. We all have such a great bond, and everyone works together to make every player feel welcome. When I first came onto the

team everyone made me feel like I knew them my whole life. Usually, we like to go out and have team bonding dinners. I always love meeting everyone after school and hanging out together as a team,” Kerr said.

Practicing about 17 hours a week, Kerr spends countless days challenging herself to continuously develop new skills while working to prepare for next year’s season. Kerr also puts time aside, including offseason golf while participating in private lessons and tournaments year-round to push herself and focus on furthering her training.

“During the off season I’m going to enter some golf tours such as Hurricane, which are national and international competitions, PGA junior league, and Florida State Golf Association, which has great athletes to play,” Kerr said.

Throughout her golf career, Kerr gained support from her family, specifically her father. She considers him her number one supporter.

“My dad has always been there for me no matter what. Usually, we go out to the course together and play or even hit some balls on the range. Having somebody to strongly encourage me has allowed me to do my absolute best and helped me remain positive throughout the game,” Kerr said.

Coach Gary Hoskins chose Kerr as the Athlete of the Month due to her commitment to the team and outstanding performance on the course.

“Lindsey has been a consistent leader throughout the season and has excelled in every aspect of her golf game, while having the lowest scoring average. She also qualified for the region tournament for the second year in a row,” Hoskins said.

After making it to regionals for the first time in three years, Kerr plans on devoting her time for golf as she hopes to make it to states for next year’s season. In the near future, she wants to attend a four-year university while furthering her athletic ability as a collegiate golfer.

Photo by Breanna Mahan Caption: Chipping her ball onto the green, Lindsey Kerr (‘24) practiced with her teammates on Sept. 23.

Avid athlete Alexander Noti excelled in golf since his youth, leading to his selection as the Gregg Schindler Male Athlete of the Month for December.

By Sofia Chianella

Playing nine holes a day, seven days a week, for 11 weeks since the season started allowed J.W. Mitchell High sophomore Alexander Noti to complete roughly 700 holes of golf since the start of the 2021 school year season. With this type of commitment to the sport since the age of four, Noti frequently participates in golf tournaments, starting when he was eleven years old. Inspired by his father’s college career in golf, Noti has learned a great deal about the sport from his dad’s previous experiences. However, his father is not the only person that has been a role model. “My coach, Coach [Jeffery] Leavey, gotta give him the shout out, because he’s a really good dude. He helps us get things done, get onto the golf course, [and] he brings us food and stuff. He’s just a good dude,” Noti said. The feeling is mutual between the two golfers, as Leavey, a coach of 47 years, sees the talent and hard work that is achieved by Noti. “Alex is an outstanding all-around athlete. He plays hockey, tennis, runs, and golfs at a high level. He understands the process of improving everything he does every day,” Leavey said. Up until high school, Noti admits to not feeling like he was a great golf player. The support of his teammates and taking the initiative to practice with the team every day, increasing his golf average to the 20th in the state of Florida for sophomores. “We’re great. We went out almost every day during the week, so we became pretty good friends. We’ve come a long way this season. Not where we directly wanted to be, but we went pretty far,” Noti said. In order to mentally succeed in the sport, Noti looks at every shot one at a time, staying focused, which gives him the opportunity to come back even if he fails. “I really want to play college golf. The PGA Tour, which is the Pros, does not have many spots on the tour, and you have to be really good. I’m fine if I don’t make it there, but I kind of want to get a scholarship. I just want to play for free,” Noti said. Through his understanding of the technical aspects of a golf swing, Leavey feels that Noti has been able to help his teammates improve. “Alex is a player-coach, in that he helps everyone he is around to improve. He understands the technical parts of a golf swing,” Leavey said. Congratulations to Alexander Noti for his selection as the Gregg Schindler Male Athlete of the Month.

Photo by Grace Tomlin Caption: At practice on Oct. 4, Alexander Noti watches his ball as it takes flight towards the hole.