Iana Viveiros, a seventh grader at Thompson Middle School, has been a FabGolfer for almost a year now. Iana has never golfed before, and while sometimes she may be the smallest player, she has the heart of a lion.
NPT Community Adventure Specialist and Communications Director, Lauren McKinnon, sat with Iana this week and asked her about her experience with FabGolf.
Lauren McKinnon : Why did you join Fab Golf?
Iana Vivieros : In the beginning of last summer, when I joined camp and saw all the options, I really just wanted to try something new. I had never golfed before, now I get to golf a lot.
LM : And you’re pretty good now.
IV : Well I don’t know, but thank you. I get to try a lot.
LM : Do you want to continue? Can you see yourself golfing when you’re older?
IV : Oh yeah definitely. I want to golf this summer with Orlando. I could see myself golfing when I’m really old even.
LM : From going from never golfing before, to “golfing even when you’re old” in just nine months, it’s clear that the game of golf, and Orlando, have already impacted your life. What’s a memory you remember most from FabGolf?
Unlike other programs, working with Green Valley allows access to professionals who volunteer their time to help coach. When recalling some of her favorite memories from her FabGolf experience, Iana exemplified just how lucky we are to have them.
IV : One thing that I remember most, is a day over the summer, we had people come to help us some times, teach us, and I remember I got help with my swing. After he fixed my swing, I was hitting the ball way better. I went to show Orlando what I learned, and how good I was doing, and he said ‘Hey, I told you that before!’ and I ‘said… but … yeah well….’
LM : It seems sometimes, it’s helpful to hear it from someone else too. And luckily, we have those “someone else’s” in the form of semi-professional golfers. Your mom said that you both felt like NEX and Fab are different from other camps. She said you had more opportunity to be yourself. What do you think?IV : Yeah I heard you talked to my mom, and I told her ‘hey, no, I want to talk to Lauren myself!’ Other camps are just not the same as us. We have more time to have fun. And I meet people. I have you. You’re my friend. And I get to do more things.
