Sports Spotlight: Abi Schneider

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – Success has been a long time coming for St. Mary’s senior Abi Schneider.

“I know coming into my freshman, sophomore year, I always came in knowing like, ‘just go have fun,’” Schneider said. “Hopefully we get some results.”

This year, the results have come in waves, but it has taken patience to get to this point.

“Golf is a sport of patience,” Schneider said. “If you don’t have patience, you’re probably not going to succeed very well.”

That’s a hard lesson learned in the game of golf, but swing by swing, Schneider is figuring it out.

“The practice is finally paying off,” Schneider added.

Schneider fell short of her golf goals during her senior season but has bounced back for her final year of high school by winning four times this season.

“To start getting the results that I had been working really hard for is crazy relieving, and playing good is more fun too,” Schneider said with a laugh.

Schneider was also named the WDA Senior Athlete of the Year this week at the regional tournament, but she said there’s no way she could have expected her senior season to be this successful.

She fell in love with the game of golf at a young age on trips to the lake with her dad, grandfather and uncles, but she did not get competitive until middle school.

“I was like 5 maybe,” Schneider said. “That’s kind of when my interest in it all started. I just wanted to be out there with my dad most of the time.”

It’s that same support system that has helped lead her to success in her senior season, whether it’s with words of encouragement or by cheering her on at a tournament.

“My parents, oh, they drove me all summer. No matter what. I’d be laying in bed not having a great day and they’d be like, ‘Get up and go to the golf course Abi,’ and it always made me feel better,” said Schneider.

Schneider’s parents know the lessons she’s learning on the course through the game of golf, and more importantly how they translate to her everyday life.

“Just coming out every single day with an open mind, and that goes for anything,” Schneider said. “At the end of the day, it’s just golf.”

Schneider hopes to continue her golf career at the collegiate level and hopes to sign with a school in November.

Copyright 2024 KFYR. All rights reserved.