Community Corner
Whiz Kid Of The Week: Drew Ridings, Rolling Along At Number One
Put Drew Ridings on a golf course and you might not see him again until sundown.
Accomplishments:
Drew Ridings definitely knows how to roll with the changes, especially when it comes to playing golf. The Vickery Creek Middle School 7th grader is currently in the number one spot on his school's team. He's been playing golf since he was 9- years-old, and spends 20 to 30 hours a week on the golf course. Drew is the 2008 champion at the and the Regional Optimist International Competition. He holds 13 medals ranging from first to third place in golf.
Being ranked in the Top Five in east and west Georgia is also a bonus, but for Drew Ridings, the most important position he holds is being the president of the Deacons Quorum at his church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It's a position that helps him lead, follow and learn as he maintains a busy schedule with golf, football and his upcoming Boy Scout Eagle project.
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Drew epitomizes the trend toward the concept that athletes must also be able to perform as a role model with high moral standards. He played travel football with West Forsyth High School in 2010 and was voted Most Valuable Player by his peers and coaches--an honor bestowed only on those who have what it takes for excellence on and off the playing field.
Keys to Success:
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Drew's first love is golf and he often relates the sport to the "game" of life.
"The long game is outward and observable," says Drew. "Step up to the ball and smack it! Without the short game, however, long drives aren't enough. The short game requires more thought, judgment, feel and finesse.
To me, there are parts of life that are like the long game, and parts that are like the short game," he explains. "I go to church, go to school, go to practice, and do my homework.
Other parts of life, the important parts, are the short game--how I treat my family and friends, how I control and channel my thoughts, and my efforts to become more Christlike. The short game of life asks the most of me but, it brings the greatest rewards."
Spoken with the wisdom of a seasoned golfer, Drew Ridings possesses that unmistakable decorum that is unique to the sport of golf--a true gentleman's game.
