Breely Stengel has been playing golf since elementary school, so as a junior at Miami High School, she’s got a lot of experience on the course, enough to be recognized as a respected leader of the Wardogs’ golf squad.
She loves the game and enjoys trying to uplift her teammates’ spirits, especially if someone starts to get frustrated over a mistake.
“I just have a lot of fun with golf and even when I’m doing bad, I try to have a good attitude on the course,” Stengel said. “I try to make sure that (my teammates) have a good attitude as well, so they don’t get upset when they’re not playing well, and I try to help them when they need it.”
Stengel acknowledges that attitude and mental peace play a major role in golf and credits Miami coach Rusty Mercer with helping her maintain an even-keel emotionally on the course.
“Especially if you have a bad hole, if you go into the next hole being angry, it’s just hard to bring yourself back together for the rest of the day,” Stengel said. “I just try to kind of forget about what just happened, in a way, but also just talking to my coach helps a lot. He’s very helpful in making sure everyone’s in a good attitude as well.”
Stengel got hooked on golf as a little kid watching her dad play and then joined him on the course herself. The game has fostered some nice father-daughter bonding over the years.
“I have been playing since I was in elementary school with my dad. He loves golf, and I think it just went to me and I love it, too,” she said. “I remember watching him play when I was really little and being like, ‘Oh my gosh, I want to be just like him.’ We love to play together.”
Stengel is also involved in cheerleading and power lifting at Miami, a unique combination of activities. But golf is her first love and something she hopes to continue doing in college.
“Definitely an interesting combination of sports, but it works for me,” said Stengel, who is also in the Miami student council and the National Honor Society. “I like cheer, but golf has just always been in my life, so that would be nice (to play in college).”
