By Derrick Smith

Josie Gales is a high school golfer for Ponca City High School. She has put in a lot of work to be the best golfer she can be, but she has also had some really good people to look up to as well. 

“I have put in a lot of practice, and I am continually working to get better,” she said. “While I have seen improvements in my game, my desire to keep getting better is what keeps me motivated. The biggest influence on my life has been my dad. He has always pushed me to be the best version of myself. Plus, he has never given up on me and he supports me in every way possible.”

Gales, a sophomore, says that it is hard to choose just one memory that is her favorite. 

“The highlight of golf is all the memories I get to share with my teammates,” she stated. “I don’t really battle any of my teammates in practice. Instead, we all kind of thrive off of each other and we are always encouraging each other. I could not imagine what our team would be like without any one of them.”

When Josie is out on the course for competition, she says it does not matter who the opponent is, she just wants to see herself improve.

“There is not really another team or school that I enjoy beating the most,” she said. “What I do enjoy is watching my score decrease in each tournament.”

Other than sports, Gales is not really involved in any clubs on campus. She says that her schoolwork keeps her busy enough. When she is checking out her social media, she says that there is one group that she enjoys following and keeping up with the most.

“Youth Climate Save is a really cool group that I enjoy following,” she said. “They are a youth-led Instagram account dedicated to spreading awareness about climate change and animal agriculture.”