“The hole in one is something you always have in your mind, every time you go to play the first thing you have in your mind is to do it. At any given moment, I picture it”.
And so it was one day, Luciana Medina sent the ball 119 yards with power to the 13th hole, on the first shot she made, with her 9-iron, on the par 3 of the IMG Academy Junior World Championships, Rancho Bernardo course, in San Diego California,. Finally, the ball found its destination at the bottom of the hole. Thus Luciana’s dream of making her first “Hole in one” was fulfilled.
Keeping concentration and finding enough peace to focus on a good shot is what Luciana tries to do every time she goes out on the course. Sometimes it’s best to think about everything but the ball and the swing.
“When I hit the shot I think about hopefully it will go really well, but when I go on the course I have to think about anything other than golf because otherwise I get nervous, my hands and body shake.”
Luciana’s life is not only about golf, she normally watches movies, likes to read and watch series, as long as time permits, because when she arrives late at night after training, she has to dedicate her time to fulfilling her CCB duties.
“I usually get home late, do what I have to do from school and have my time completely measured. It’s not difficult for me to do both.”
A strong character and clear ideas are the main characteristics she has. She speaks with the same confidence with which she plays. A positive energy that she expresses when she hits the ball, with the strength and subtlety needed to send it as close to the hole as possible.
“Being patient and calm is what generates success. When I’m about to shoot I think about the shot, but I clear my mind and try to make sure everything goes perfectly.”
A full-ride sports scholarship is what she has in mind. It’s a goal she has set in stone for herself.
“I have to go with a sports scholarship. I’d like to get into the University of California, apply and win the athletic scholarship. That will push me to keep playing”.
Her assertive personality allows her to rise above her opponents, maintaining the confidence and positive thinking that characterises her.
“I fight with my competitors because sometimes they are rude, not all of them, there are some who are my friends but I still study them a lot, when they say something to me I say something back, they try to get me out of my zone, my focus, or say mean things to me, but that doesn’t get on my nerves”.
The schedule of a thirteen year old competitor is often full, however Luciana organises herself in such a way that she even manages to paint faces, applying what she has learnt from golf to her daily life.
“I like to paint and read, I make a lot of drawings with faces and I like to paint them a lot, this has helped me to control myself more and to get angry less. Not to get frustrated, not to get angry when I play badly, I have improved but it is complicated because this sport is very frustrating, it exhausts you mentally”.
Luciana’s busy schedule has led her to participate in various tournaments in recent weeks: Copa Club Militar de Golf in Bogotá, where she came seventh; the Chany Open-Copa Expresidentes here in Cali, in which she teamed up with the professional Paula Hurtado and came fourth; the DJCG National Championship ‘Copa Juan Sebastián Muñoz’ where she came fifth and this week she started the XVII International Masters Tournament for Juniors and Youth Golf 2022.
“My dream now is to win many tournaments. At the end of the year there is a big one and I want to win that one too”.
Luciana, may your dreams come true. Fore!
