When you’re in high school, it is important to try new things that are outside of your comfort zone. For junior Yessenia Rios-Esparza, that new thing was golf. Prior to this year, Rios-Esparza had never had any experience with swinging a golf club. With four weeks of practice under her belt, she feels confident in her growth.

“I started playing just because I thought it would be fun,” she said. “I just wanted to try something new, so I figured why not?”

Rios-Esparza thinks that Stagg’s team has the potential to win the league, but doesn’t want to be overconfident.

“We have a lot of good players,” she said. “But it’s only my first year playing golf, so I can’t be too confident.”

Rios-Esparza practices four times as week. She finds practice very fun since it’s an easy way for her to forget about other things in life.

“When I’m at practice, all you do is hit balls and have a good time,” Rios-Esparza said. “It’s easy to take my mind off of other things when I’m playing.”

She recommends golf to anybody who is willing to try out new things and get away from their comfort zone.

“It’s a lot of fun and I don’t regret playing,” she said.

Rios-Esparza has started off the season strongly and looks forward to more improvement and all of the fun that goes along with it.