The 2009 golf season is officially underway and I'm sure I can speak for all the players when I say it's wonderful to be competing again. The off-season is a nice time to recharge your batteries and take care of loose ends, but getting back on the road is always a great feeling. As I had mentioned in my first blog, I'm still not sure when I'll be getting the opportunity to tee it up, so in the meantime I'll take the opportunity to tell you a little bit more about myself.
I am 25 and grew up in Oakville, Ontario, a suburb outside of Toronto. I spent a lot of my childhood in the hockey arena watching my brothers play and the rest of my spare time running between basketball and volleyball practice for both my high school and club teams. One of the things I am most fortunate about are the many opportunities my parents provided for my two younger brothers and myself in regards to trying our hands in many sports. I attempted everything from ballet to synchronized swimming to volleyball. I always loved to compete and having two brothers who were extremely gifted athletically didn't hurt in creating that competitive drive. There was never a time when we weren't trying to out-do each other, down to who could make it to the front seat the quickest. Anyway, as I was saying, athletics were just part of my family, what we did and who we were, and I loved every minute of it. For me, golf began as a time for my father and I to spend time together in the summer after all the hockey teams he coached were on break. We traveled around competing and after a few years of gradual improvement, he introduced the idea of going south of the border to play collegiate golf. It sounded like one heck of an adventure to me and from then on playing golf for an American college with hopes of professional golf afterwards was where my sights were set.
I played four years at the University of Tennessee, graduating with a degree in Journalism and Public Relations. Going to school in the US provides a much different experience to university in Canada, an experience I am very grateful for. When I picked Tennessee, I knew it was a big SEC school, but I had no idea the enormity of the basketball and football programs. I had never seen so many people in one stadium before my first Tennessee home football game - INCREDIBLE!!
I could go on telling you about myself forever…. I love to read, listen to good music, work out, spend time with my friends and family, but I'll get into all that at a later time.
For now, its time for me to go practice!!
The copyrighted content contained on this blog reflects the sole opinion(s) of the author. Such content does not necessarily represent the LPGA's views, opinions, intentions, and/or strategies, and is intended for informational or amusement purposes only.
Topics: Rookie Blog, Shepley, Jessica
