Kai Warner – a senior on the HSE Boys Golf team – has been on varsity for three years. He plans to continue his academic and golf career at Marian University.
Kai is one of two seniors on the team. With that comes big expectations to play well and lead the team. To be a good leader, you need an idea of what a leader is and what makes a good one. Kai says he thinks that “a good leader is someone who does the right thing no matter who is watching.”
Warner is a member of the Student Athletic Council (SAC) at Hamilton Southeastern and credits it heavily for developing his leadership skills. In SAC, they talk “a lot about setting the expectations for teams by the example that [they] set.” He believes “for golf specifically, being a good leader has so much to do with body language and the way [he handles himself] before, during, and after the round—especially when it is not a good round. It’s really easy to be a good leader in golf when [he’s] three under through twelve and the whole team is playing well, but when [he] just made a double bogey and cannot hit the ball to save [his] life, it can be challenging to keep [his] head up and represent the team well.”
As those rounds get tough and the team might be in a slump, Kai has his own way of keeping the team motivated. He says that “[his] theme for the team this year is ‘enjoy the walk.’” He created blue wristbands with the theme printed on them for the whole team to wear. He says it’s “a good reminder to [himself] and the other guys [on the team] that no matter how good or bad [the team is] playing, [they] are [on the course] together playing the game [they] love to play.” Another part of that mindset is taking in the moment. “High school golf flies by, and [it is] such a quick and busy season that it’s so easy to get caught up in the scores [the team is] posting or how many invites [they] have won, instead of just being present and enjoying the moments that [they] will all look back at and tell stories about—no matter how good or bad it went.” This mindset of Kai’s is what makes him such a good role model for the rest of the team and anyone else who looks up to him.
To be a good leader, like Kai said, you have to set the example—especially for the younger and less experienced players. As a senior, Kai has a lot more experience on these courses and with high school golf than the underclassmen. Warner says that a way he tries to “mentor them is ask them a lot of questions and pick their brains after their rounds. [He] tries to give them any pointers to help them. But [he] thinks the biggest thing is just encouraging them and reminding them that there is a huge difference between junior high golf and high school golf, and that freshman year is a huge adjustment, so helping them not be too hard on themselves is key.” Kai’s effort to support and encourage the younger players shows what being a true leader is all about.
As his final season goes on, Kai is focused on the legacy he’ll leave with the program. He wants to be known as someone who changed the culture of the team and set an example of how an HSE golfer should act on and off the golf course. Not only does Kai want to be known as a great golfer, but also as a great person off the course. As he works to finish his senior season and leave that legacy, Kai will be ‘enjoying the walk’ every step of the way.
