Bryce Kesselring (12) takes a swing at state on April 25. “There was pressure when I teed off on the first day. The whole build up of the week and knowing this is my last event got the nerves going a bit,” Kesselring said. He had been playing golf since he was four years old when his dad and grandpa introduced him to it. Photo courtesy by Bryce Kesselring

For the first time in over a decade, Bryce Kesselring (12) made it to state for boys golf.

“It was a sense of accomplishment,” Kesselring said, “knowing that I had accomplished something that had been my goal since freshman year and doing something that someone from Oakville hadn’t done in 15 years.”

Not only is this a major accomplishment for an athlete, it also can add some new challenges when they first play.

“There was pressure when I teed off on the first day. The whole build up of the week and knowing this is my last event got the nerves going a bit,” Kesselring said. “Throughout the two days, they eventually went away to where I was just playing golf.”

Pressure can be hard to overcome, but when you have played for many years, it can start to feel less stressful and more of just a game you love. For Kesselring, most of the joy he gets while playing comes from his childhood memories of first learning the sport.

“I’ve been playing golf ever since I was four. I was introduced to the sport by playing with my grandpa and my dad,” Kesselring said. “We would go out and play with the three of us, and over time my love for the game grew.”

Even when an athlete has been doing something for years, however, there are times when things simply do not go how they want them to.

“Within the season, it had not been the season that I wanted to have. I had struggled in the middle part of the season, which was rough. Within state, the whole first day was a really rough one,” Kesselring said. “It was off and on rain all day, and I didn’t get to play the way I wanted to, putts weren’t falling, good shots weren’t going where they needed too.”

For Kesselring, though, no matter how good or bad he did, the memory of being the first one to make it to state in 15 years and having fun took over how he performed.

“My favorite part was towards the end of my second round where I was able to go out and just enjoy golf knowing it was my last round in high school,” Kesselring said, “and that I was able to let the moment sink in on the 18th green — that I was lucky enough to make the state tournament.”