West Ashley High senior Julia Lewis is a third-year player on the high school’s Varsity Girls Golf Team. She didn’t even start playing golf until her sophomore year, but she quickly became an integral part of the team. Lewis hasn’t had near the amount of experience and practice as most of her opponents, yet she has become a stand out competitor. “She’s led the team at the number 1 position for the past two years,” says West Ashley Varsity Girls Golf Coach Jennifer Taylor.
Lewis recently shot a 47 at the 9 Hole Region 7-AAAAA Meet and qualified for the AAAAA Lower State Golf Tournament; she was the only player on the team to qualify for State. “Julia’s first shot on each hole usually puts her at an advantage as she has the ability to outdrive her opponents,” says Taylor.
Practicing fundamentals is only one part of Lewis’s success; personality also plays a role. Lewis credits her personality as the reason she is so coachable. “I’m a very outgoing person,” says Lewis. This allows her to be open to learning from coaches and teammates alike. “I listen to constructive criticism in order to better myself every day,” says Lewis. She is able to understand her mistakes and work on fixing them while maintaining a positive attitude.
That positive attitude also allows her to bond with and motivate her teammates. “We’ve gotten close this season and we always encourage each other before matches,” says Lewis. “Even if I’m done, I stick around to watch other players finish.” In a sport like golf that places value and emphasis on the individual, Lewis has done a great job of maintaining a team mentality.
Even though she puts golf first, Lewis is quite busy when she is not swinging her clubs. She is extremely involved in school as a member of the National Honor Society, Interact Club, Teacher Cadet, Prom Committee, and Student Government Association; she is also a former member of the Wildcat P.R.E.S.S. Team. Lewis likes the perks that come along with being involved. “We get to go do so may fun activities that help out with the community,” says Lewis. Outside of school, Lewis works two part-time jobs at Red Orchids Bistro and the West Ashley Crab Shack. She is an active member of her church and participates in the youth group Young Life. Somehow she even finds time to hang out with her friends.
When she graduates in the spring, Lewis plans to attend Clemson University to study Biomedical Science in hopes of one day becoming an anesthesiologist. “What got me interested was taking an anatomy and physiology class,” says Lewis. She has taken the initiative to achieve her career goals by taking all the science classes required to become a Health Science completer.
