(National Opportunity Recap) – This summer, four fantastic First Tee – Silicon Valley participants returned from across the country after participating in First Tee National Opportunities. Isabella Herrera and Marrisa Wei attended the Game Changers Academy held in Minneapolis, MN while Dakota Chang and Ashely Pang represented FTSV at the Leadership Academy in Atlanta, GA. Both of the events provided a unique opportunity for participants to learn from industry leaders, engage in leadership-building activities, meet participants from across the county, and build lifelong memories. If you would like to learn more about the National Opportunities and how to qualify and apply please visit click here or reach out to Coach Phoenix ([email protected]).
First Tee Game Changers Academy Honoring Joe Louis Barrow Jr. July 9th – 13th
First Tee Game Changers Academy Honoring Joe Louis Barrow, Jr. is a five-day learning and empowerment academy. Attending participants participate in important conversations embracing topics of self-awareness, inclusivity, and community building. First Tee invites its partner, RISE, a national leader in the sports community championing social justice, to facilitate engaging and interactive workshops paired with introspective activities and reflections led by our nationally trained First Tee coaches.
The experience is designed to enlighten, inspire, encourage, and position our teens to be Game Changers in their current and future communities. The academy is the ultimate tribute to Joe Louis Barrow, Jr., a fearless champion of change.
During the week, FTSV participants Isabella and Marissa attended workshops, met inspirational people, and completed group activities all based around building leadership and teamwork skills. For Isabella, one of the most memorable actives was when she played golf with Victoria Arlen. Victoria is a four-time paralympic medalist in swimming, an ESPN sportscaster, and even performed on Dancing with the Stars, all after having to re-learn how to walk after losing the ability to eat, speak, walk and even more. Victoria developed two different rare conditions that completely changed her life, leaving her in a coma for four years. Her recovery journey taught her how important setting progress goals are to staying motivated while working towards something big.
Isabella was able to play with Victoria, and said this…
“It was incredible what she knows about sports. Whenever I talk with a guy about sports outside of FT, I’m not taken seriously, like I don’t know what I am talking about. When I was talking with her, she affirmed me. She knew all about sports, even more than me, and it made me feel so good to talk with her about it.”
For Isabella, her biggest take away was about herself identity. “My self-identity isn’t something casual I brush past, it’s something I should fully embrace and be proud of. The more pride I have, the more connection I have to myself and that strengthens my self-identity. Putting myself out there when I play golf is what makes me special. Golf is traditionally a white male sport, so being able to not only represent girls but also Latinas when I am playing hopefully can help inspire others to do the same, not just in golf but in sports in general. Representation matters!”
Marissa also had an impactful and memorable experience at the Game Changers Academy. For Marissa, one of her biggest takeaways was learning about the different traits that go into a good leader.
Marissa had this to say…
“Being inclusive is a really important part of being a good leader. It not only starts with understanding who you are as a person, but also by taking the time to understand others values and using that to make a stronger team. Making sure you are listening to everyone is really important, along with having the confidence in yourself to go above and beyond to make a difference.”
Marissa says that her experience during this academy will help her to be a better junior coach with FTSV. “It helped me to become a lot more aware of my actions and for me to make sure that I am listening to my participants, making sure they feel like they belong and are being included. This is a good example of how I can be a leader for the younger participants.”
Thank you, Isabella and Marissa, for representing our chapter in such a positive way!
First Tee Leadership Academy, June 17th – 22nd
FTSV participants, Dakota Chang and Ashely Pang recently returned from the PGA TOUR Superstore First Tee Leadership Academy. The Academy builds on the 5-week local Leadership Series and provides selected teens insight on how successful teams perform. The curriculum explores leadership concepts focusing on: (1) building a successful team by recognizing values and identifying strengths/weaknesses, (2) leading a team by developing authentic relationships and empowering others, (3) supporting the team by developing awareness and acting with humility, and (4) assessing based on comprehending and identifying the teams need and supporting through innovation and advocacy. The academy provides an opportunity for teens to explore team dynamics that enhance their future performance as they collaborate with peers and adult mentors. Activity-based workshops are facilitated by leaders from the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United, Mercedes Benz Stadium, and Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation.
Both of our participants had fun and meaningful experiences that they will remember for a lifetime. During their week, they heard from many guest speakers, including the president of the PGA TOUR Superstore, Jill Spiegel. She spoke about the importance of leadership and a strong work culture, and different strategies for bringing teams together.
They also learned about the important traits of good leaders. For Dakota, her biggest takeaway was “Good leaders don’t get caught up on failures. Instead, they take it as a lesson and learn from it, asking ‘what could I have done differently?’. They aren’t afraid to step back and let others take over, and that allows for more diversity and improvement through reflection.” She knows that constructive leadership comes from always striving to do better without putting yourself down for making mistakes.
When asking Ashely about what she learned during the Leadership Academy, she focused more on teamwork. “In a team, communication and relationship building are the fundamental basis of making a team work. Trust is really important in communication, and being able to apply that value with people I didn’t even know was really special. By the end, we had formed teams and lifelong friends! Remember, challenge breeds innovation.”
The Academy was a great opportunity for Ashely and Dakota to apply the leadership skills they learned in their FTSV Grades 9-12 classes, and in their ACE classes. This Academy and the other National Opportunities are part of what makes First Tee special as they help shape the leaders of tomorrow.
This particular national opportunity became available to participants who excelled during the First Tee Leadership Series that took place at our own local Cupertino PGA TOUR Superstore. If your participant is in high school and is interested in being a part of next year’s Leadership Series, please reach out to Coach Phoenix ([email protected]) or have them tell their coach next time they see them!
Join our Program
Join our program by clicking here. The 4 participants have been in our program since they were in grade school and have been models of consistency throughout the years. It is no wonder they are leaders amongst their peers and we are glad their hard work and dedication paid off.
Published: 08-14-24