Folsom Athlete of the Week Carly Krause loves to play and teach golf

Carly Krause didn't let a cast on her left arm lessen her dedication to the sport of golf or her teammates last fall as a member of Christian Brothers' girls' golf team. The Granite Bay resident and now graduate of Christian Brothers High School, attended practice every day last fall, swung with one arm, and supported her teammates at every match last despite her arm being in a cast. When it finally came off, the team captain shot a 42 in her first nine-hole round and followed it up with an even-par 36, helping her team reach the divisional tournament. "I got the cast on the first day of school last fall and had it on for six weeks," Krause said. "I still went to all of our practices and swung with one arm, and I watched all my teammates during matches. I got to tell them what I saw and was kind of like a coach, which was kind of fun." Krause has played golf for as long as she can remember, but didn't take it seriously until her freshman year in high school. Through her talent and hard work, she's earned a scholarship to Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri. "I visited Rockhurst in November and met the coach and we definitely clicked more than with other coaches I met," Krause said. "It's a small Catholic school, and that's what I was looking for, and I've been to Kansas City now twice and I absolutely love it." Krause chose Rockhurst over Menlo College, University of Dallas and Providence Christian College. Krause's stint as a "coach" at Christian Brothers served her well this year, as she's helped coach junior golfers through Will Robins Golf at Empire Ranch since February. "I love it," Krause said. "It's so much fun. I love being around the kids, and I think that's why I like it so much. I never thought I'd be in a position to help others." Jared Butts from Will Robins Golf thinks highly of Krause. "Carly is a remarkable young person on and off the golf course," Butts said. "The amount of time she has devoted to helping others is amazing and something we could use more of nowadays. We are glad to have her on the team and coaching our juniors when she's home from college." Folsom Telegraph: What are your plans/hopes for the future? Carly Krause: I plan to finish college majoring in business communications and getting a minor in theology with the hopes of working my way up a company. FT: Where did you grow up/live and what high school did you attend? CK: I live in Granite Bay and I just graduated from Christian Brothers High School in Sacramento. FT: Do sports run in your family? CK: My family is a golf family. Everyone in my family plays golf except my mom. My dad was the one who got my family into golf because we would always go out to the range with him. FT: How long have you been playing golf and how did you get your start in it? CK: I have been going out to the range and messing around with my dad since I can remember, but I never took golf seriously until freshman year of high school. FT: What do you like about golf? CK: I like that golf is a sport that helps with many areas of life. When I go to the golf course, nothing else really matters other than being present and playing golf. FT: What was the hardest thing to learn when you first started? CK: The hardest thing to learn was to not take golf too seriously. It was hard to learn to be OK with having a bad shot, hole, or even a bad round. I still work on it every day. FT: What's the strongest part of your game? CK: I do think that the strongest part of my game is my mental game. I have worked on it a lot that I try to tune everything else out when I'm standing over my golf shot. FT: What's the weakest part? CK: I think the weakest part of my game is trying to fix every little thing and getting impatient. I get stressed out sometimes when I'm on the driving range and I can't get my swing right because I want to fix it in an hour, but in reality it's going to take more than that. FT: Do you have a golf highlight or what do you feel your biggest accomplishment in golf is? CK: On the first day of senior year, I was put into a full arm cast and was out for the majority of my golf season, which was a bummer because I needed it for college coaches to see. I went to every practice and match during the six weeks and practiced one handed and I was even voted as team captain. I came back in the only two matches I could play in and shot a 42 and an even par 36. FT: Have you ever been involved in any other sports? CK: I did year-round swim team and swam for a total of 10 years. I played comp soccer and basketball up until high school. FT: What is your favorite class/subject in school? CK: My favorite class was my video class in high school. I was in our KBFT program and I loved being an anchor on camera for our live news show. FT: Favorite music and/or artist? CK: Country music is my favorite. George Strait was the first country artist that I started listening too. FT: Favorite Food? CK: My favorite food is pasta or burgers from home with avocado. FT: Do you have any pets? Tell us about them. CK: I have one dog named Rosie, who I think I might miss most when I leave for college. FT: Do you have any hobbies? What do you like to do in your free time? CK: I volunteer a lot of my time at church. I had over 1,000 service hours while in high school. But when I have nothing to do, I love going and watching the sunsets with friends or going on spontaneous trips. FT: What inspires you in sports? CK: My parents inspire me in sports. My parents came to every single one of my golf matches, and I'm so grateful they were able to do that because I know it's a huge sacrifice. I loved after I would hit a good shot and I would get a thumbs up from my dad. FT: Is there a particular job or profession you'd like to have someday? CK: I always thought it would be awesome to be a flight attendant because I love to travel. But I think someday I want to be at the top of a big company that sells something meaningful and has values that correspond to mine.