2020 Senior Spotlight: Garrett Rolofson
Louisburg Sports Zone will be running senior spotlights through April and May everyday (Monday through Friday) in an effort to honor seniors who had their seasons taken away due to the spread of COVID-19.
Garrett Rolofson remembers his favorite Louisburg golf memory quite vividly.
It was the moment when the Wildcats were on pins and needles waiting for their fate to be determined following last season’s regional tournament in Paola. It was a nerve-racking experience for Rolofson and the rest of his teammates.
“We were all sitting in the club house nervously awaiting for the last few scores to come in from Ottawa,” Rolofson said. “I remember we were counting all the group scores over and over again because of how bad we wanted to make it to the state tournament. I remember when the last score was tallied and we knew we made it to state. It was a memory I will never forget.”
Little did Rolofson know that it would be the last time he would suit up for the Wildcat golf team.
Inclement weather pushed back the state tournament a week and Rolofson was unable to participate due to a previous engagement. It was a tough break for him, but the silver lining was that he would get another chance for his senior year.
“This golf season was something I’m sure almost every golf senior was looking forward to,” Rolofson said. “After making it to state last year, and returning almost everyone but Noah (Hill), gave us confidence and our goal was to place in the state tournament. We knew we had a good enough team to make it to state again, and there was no doubt we would have, but this time we wanted to place.”
Unfortunately a team – that featured eight seniors – will never get that opportunity. The spread of COVID-19 canceled spring sports across the state back in March and high school careers for seniors were ended prematurely.
Rolofson was on the golf course of all places when he received the official word.
“Drake Varns and I were on hole 9 at Paola Country Club,” Rolofson said. “We had just finished our afternoon round of 9 holes and were walking back to our golf cart. I received the notification that school was cancelled for the rest of the year and my heart sank. Drake and I were talking how maybe, just maybe, they would let us play our last year and find some way we could still play sports. But in the back of our minds we knew our high school golf careers were finished. It hit me really hard, especially because after last year’s state tournament initially got rained out and due to a scheduled vacation I couldn’t attend the new state tournament.
“I remember the countless rounds of golf we played over the summer to make sure we could go to state again and how hard we worked and now it’s all for nothing. It is still hard thinking about what could have been, possibly the greatest golf team to come through Louisburg High School, never getting to even play a tournament.”
Golf hasn’t always been a big part of Rolofson’s life, but he has really caught on to the sport in the last few years.
“My freshman and sophomore years of high school I played baseball,” he said. “I first started golfing during the spring semester of my sophomore year when Calvin (Dillon) came over to my house and saw my dad’s clubs. We went to my backyard and started making our own holes, marking trees, bushes, and any object as a hole and played rounds of backyard golf.
“Over the course of a month, I remember when I first got invited to play a round of golf. I had no clubs, balls, a glove or anything. My dad let me use his clubs but my classmates helped me out with the other supplies. Ever since that time during my sophomore year, golf has been a major getaway for me. It’s a way that I can see my friends, have a competition with them and play this amazing sport.”
Although he experienced a lot of success in his short time with the Wildcat program, that part isn’t what he is going to miss the most – it is the chance to play with his seven other senior teammates.
“This class of senior golfers is a once in a lifetime type of group,” Rolofson said. “I had never played a round of golf until the spring of my sophomore year and I remember I was welcomed right into the group, added to their group chats, and was invited to golf every time they went out.
“This was something special because we would always go to get better, but also to have fun with our friends and have a little competition while always trying to invite more and more people to grow the golf team. Practicing last year, with a junior (now senior) dominant team was amazing because it was the group of boys we always golfed with and just got to go out and enjoy playing the game we love.”
Other than golf, Louisburg Sports Zone also had a chance to catch up with Garrett on how he has been coping with an early end to his senior year and some of his other interests. Here are his responses from the rest of our Q&A.
LSZ: What have you been missing the most during this time away from everyone?
GR: This time away from everyone has been harder than I first expected. It hit me last week that March 12 was my last day ever of high school. I would never have another class, sporting event or see most everyone ever again. The hardest part is knowing in five months I will be moving away and starting a new chapter in my life. I won’t get to see everyone I grew up with and spent 13 years of my life with, now knowing I won’t get the proper goodbye to my family of Louisburg.
LSZ: What is your most memorable moment as an athlete or in school, and why?
GR: My most memorable moment as a student and student athlete isn’t actually an achievement. Every memory I have of sports, from the golf teams’ first state appearance in years to a historic soccer season this year – are all amazing and something I will never forget. But my favorite memory was listening to the golf playlist before every tournament and before every time we played golf. We would play these same five or six songs over and over before every round of golf because it was “good luck” and everyone singing and having a good time was always fun.
LSZ: What is your favorite activity/hobby outside of sports and why?
GR: My favorite hobby outside of sports is actually solving Rubik’s Cubes. In seventh grade I was taught by Deven Wieland how to solve them and my fascination and obsession grew from there. I enjoy Rubik’s Cubes because it’s a very good stress reliever and is a way for me to just relax.
LSZ: What are your plans after graduation?
GR: I plan to attend the University of Kansas to obtain a degree in exercise science and minor in business with my ultimate goal of being a sport physical therapist.
LSZ: What accomplishments that don’t involve athletics are you most proud of and why?
GR: I am most proud of lettering in academics every year of middle school and high school. It is a big achievement of mine because it shows how hard I worked not only on the sports playing field, but in the classroom.
LSZ: What do you think would be something that a lot of people don’t know about you?
GR: If I could go to one place in the world right now it would be Japan because I want to learn about the culture and way of life. I am one-fourth Japanese and I would like to travel to Japan and learn about my ethnicity.
Garrett’s Favorites
Pro athlete: Rory McIlroy
Pro team: Kansas City Chiefs
College team: University of Nebraska
Movie: Avengers: Endgame
TV Show: The Flash
Song: LOYAL (feat. Drake) by Partynextdoor
Band/Musician: Post Malone
Pregame meal/snack: Peanut Butter and Jelly
Class/subject: Math
Teacher and why: Conley, because he is always there for me and through soccer has shown me so many valuable life lessons that I will continue to use throughout my life.