Jenna Golec has spent all four years of her high school career as a cheerleader on MIA’s Varsity Cheer Team.
Golec joined the team because of her adoration for the sport. She has shown great athleticism and leadership by earning the title of Team Leader during her junior year and continues to exemplify these qualities throughout her senior year. The coaches think very highly of her and believe that she is the glue that holds the team together.
Some of Golec’s favorite memories from cheer are the long bus rides to games, a very memorable senior night, and becoming closer to her fellow senior cheerleader Collette Combs. They both have guided a powerful team of young ladies this season.
After high school, she does not plan to pursue cheerleading further but plans to either major in business at FGCU or study at Paul Mitchell Hair School in Fort Myers, FL.
“Be vulnerable, that is the way you gain respect with those girls. They have made the past four years amazing, and it all starts with trust.”
— Jenna Golec
Collette Combs has been a part of varsity cheer for MIA for three years, initially joining when she moved to Florida from Ohio. She has been team leader for the past two years and is seen as honest, passionate, and kind by her teammates.
Her favorite memory of being a part of cheer is going to McDonald’s and Veterans Park after every home game. Her favorite memory from MIA is serving waffles on Waffle Wednesday last year.
If Collette could give any words of advice towards her younger self she would say, “To be more confident because life is too short to let others determine your happiness and just have fun because nothing is honestly that deep.”
— Collette Combs
After high school, Collette plans to attend Florida Southern College. She plans to cheer for the Mocs and obtain her master’s degree in Business Entrepreneurship.
Leonardo Demartino has played football at MIA for three years. He joined the team because he really enjoyed the sport.
He has learned much from his skills and the game, but he mostly learned about being a part of a team.
His favorite memory from his time playing was when the Rays earned their first win in six years.
He is planning on heading to a Florida university to study engineering instead of pursuing his favorite sport.
Senior, Gabe Tschida has run for MIA’s Cross Country team for three years.
Gabe’s favorite memory of his time on the cross country team is when he went to North Carolina for a meet and went MIA, and ran at the state championships.
Gabe has learned “That even when everything hurts and you think you can’t keep going, you should just breathe and keep pushing yourself to be the best you can be.” — Gabe Tschida
After high school, Gabe plans on attending a trade school but is still deciding which one he will attend. Once he graduates, he doesn’t plan to continue running competitively.
Jenna Ragan has competed on the varsity volleyball team all four years of high school. Jenna joined the team because she loves how engaged she gets in the sport.
Her favorite memories in high school volleyball were beating Lely twice her sophomore year and going to regionals her junior and senior years.
Throughout her years at MIA, she has learned that in the game it’s not how you start it’s how you finish, to stay focused and positive, even when the odds are stacked against her.
After high school, Jenna doesn’t know where she would like to attend college and is still undecided about whether she will play volleyball in the future.
Tyler Clifford has played for the varsity golf team throughout all four of his years at MIA.
Some of Tyler’s favorite memories at MIA have been getting his first birdie in his freshman year, and getting escorted by Joshua Dominguez’s parents on his senior night.
“Practice does not always equal perfection, and that there is always someone who is better than you.”
— Tyler Clifford
In the future, Tyler plans on attending a university in Florida while majoring in either business or finance. He does not plan on playing golf at the university he attends, but he will continue to play golf as an intramural sport.
Joshua Dominguez is a senior at Marco Island Academy who has competed in golf for all of his years at the school.
His favorite MIA golf memory is when his team won an inter-team golf tournament in his senior year.
After high school, Joshua plans to pursue a career in mechanical engineering. He hopes to attend Embry Riddle in Daytona Beach to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering.
Austin Hendrick became a member of the MIA golf team during his sophomore year. After picking up the game as a hobby during the summer of his freshman year, he has been with the team ever since.
Playing golf taught Austin “just how patient you have to be to pick up a new skill” and “improvement in anything takes time and repetition.”
— Austin Hendrick
Austin’s favorite golf memory was hitting a birdie in one of his first competitive matches.
After high school, Austin plans on going to an in-state university where he can study mechanical engineering. While he doesn’t plan on making a career out of golf, he does plan on pursuing it in college.
Tommy Heekin has been on the MIA golf team since his freshman year because he wanted to find a new sport.
Throughout his years playing golf at MIA, he has learned that “everyone improves at a different pace”, and that “there will always be someone worse than you as well as someone better.”
— Thomas Heekin
Some of Tommy’s favorite memories include playing golf in the golf camp at Hideaway and playing in a few matches against other schools. His funniest memory is his freshman year when he played in a match and got the worst possible score.
In the future, Tommy plans to attend an in-state university, either at the University of Florida or the University of Central Florida to study engineering.
Daniel Heekin has completed four years of varsity golf. His initial reason for joining was to “find a sport that interested him and find something he could be skilled at.”
One of Daniel’s favorite moments was watching Steel sink an eagle from 150 yards away.
If there is one thing that Daniel has learned through his many years it is “golf is hard.”
After graduation, Daniel plans on attending an in-state university to pursue a degree in electrical engineering. His golfing, however, will be a casual hobby.
Aaron Converse has just transferred to MIA from Maine, although he has spent most of his life playing baseball, he decided to play golf for the first time.
He started playing golf because he wanted to meet new people since he’s a new student and he thought it would be a fun experience and a lifelong skill to gain.
Some of Aaron’s favorite memories from the golf season are the practice tournaments and slowly realizing that he is getting better at golf.
After high school, Aaron plans on attending college, but he is still uncertain of what college he wants to attend. In college, he does not plan on playing golf.
Chase has been playing golf since his freshman year, and over the years, he has grown to become a great golfer.
Throughout his four years of playing golf, Chase said, “he learned patience and how to control his thoughts.”
Chase started playing golf to be a part of something new while socializing with new people. He also believed it was a great sport to learn, and he had an interest in golfing.
Chase’s favorite memory about golf was spending time with his friends while also enjoying golf.
Chase does not plan on pursuing golf for college; however, he will still be golfing for the love of the sport.
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