continuingon By Becka Bash, Feature Editor
W
hether they are played in the gym, the pool, on the course, or anywhere else, something a vast majority of high school sports have in common is the ability to play them at the collegiate level. Many students at ZCHS in the past have gone on to play for colleges and that trend is not slowing down this year at all. Across the school students have been working on finding the perfect school for them to play for when they start college.
Lauren Kaltenmark
Senior Lauren Kaltenmark swings her club at a golf meet. photo by Kailee Rockers
18 sports
Senior Lauren Kaltenmark has been golfing since middle school, when she was on the Zionsville West Middle School girls golf team. When she got to high school, she started her golf career as a freshman playing on the varsity team. The team went on to win state the year she joined and were the runner ups her sophomore year. “Golf is a way to escape from school and life and for me to have fun with the people I play with and it’s a way to meet new people and see new places,” Kaltenmark said. Kaltenmark is planning on continuing her golf career in college and has been going through the recruitment process. She started last fall by talking to colleges about things like her golf swing and GPA, as well as the schools they coach at, so she could begin learning about her different options for schools. Her recruitment process has been changed though as a result of the pandemic. “It’s just been different in the sense I can’t visit the colleges or get to meet coaches, but I can still email them and communicate via zooms, text, etc.. but it’s hard to actually get
Lauren Kaltenmark, senior, bundles up to practice her golf swings. photo provided by Lauren Kaltenmark
a grasp on the school when you can’t actually visit,” Kaltenmark said. Students across the country are affected by the “dead period” in which students cannot meet with coaches face to face, only on zoom or through messages. “The NCAA D1 council just extended its recruiting dead period through Sept. 30 which pushes the ability for recruits to visit college campuses in official or unofficial manners for at least another month. The dead period has been in place since the NCAA announced the cancellation of winter sports championships last March,” Athletic Director Greg Schellhase said. As a result, people have had to work to change methods of recruitment. “Coaches are relying more on scouting services, video highlights, social media and game film more than ever before,” Schellhase said. “It is more important than ever that our high school student-athletes are proactive in selling themselves and putting together skills videos that highlight their abilities and workouts in their respective sport.” So far, Kaltenmark’s favorite school has been SCAD because she thought the team seemed very connected and had a positive energy that she really liked. “The important thing for me in a school is first the program I’m looking for. I want to go to a school that would best fit my program and will help me be successful once I graduate college. Then I look at the team and the coaches to make sure it’s a good fit for me,” Kaltenmark said. Kaltenmark hasn’t yet selected a school to attend in the fall, but is on the hunt and excited to start her golf career in college. “I am most excited to be a part of a new team with amazing girls and to also play new courses as well,” Kaltenmark said.
