By Hayden Swope
Phoenix Hill, a golfer at Wichita North, was chosen as the Old Chicago Athlete of the Month.
“Being chosen for the magazine means so much to me,” Hill said. “I grew up as an extroverted art kid, so sports weren’t really my thing. My parents pushed me to try out for the golf team, and after my first practice, I fell in love with it.”
Hill spent her entire summer out on the course working on advancing her skills for this year’s season.
“I prepared for my upcoming season by going to First Tee over the summer,” Hill said. “It’s a great opportunity to learn from other city league coaches. I like playing on a golf course more than practicing on the range, so I also came to my coach’s summer practices.”
While training to improve her scores over the offseason, Hill also worked to focus on her mental game for the year ahead.
“A particular weakness I wanted to improve was my attitude,” Hill said. “I used to get very upset with myself if I had a bad shot, but now I hit my ball and move on. It took a lot of work to get out of my negative mindset. From this season, all I can remember is the fun I had and the good shots my
dad recorded.”
Hill has big plans to attend college right here in Kansas, all while working for her master’s degree.
“I am following in my parent’s footsteps and applying to Wichita State University,” Hill said. “I want to earn my master’s in fine art and land a teaching job at a high school. Teaching is my passion because I want to make a difference in kids’ lives. I believe art is a powerful tool to help express difficult emotions.”
