Santa Rosa’s Christa Robledo might be heading to the UIL state golf Tournament this week, but the trip hasn’t come without its share of bumps along the way. From a disappointing district showing where she still won the league title to a historic state tournament qualification, Robledo has undeniably had a season to remember.
“Christa has always taken pride in her work,” said Santa Rosa girls golf coach Hector Ayala. “Since her freshman year, she has steadily gotten better. She has won the district individual title three years in a row and at regionals after the first day she was in contention. On Day 2, she felt she hadn’t played well but she was still two strokes better than Day 1.
“As scores came in, I noticed that she just might sneak in and when she placed third, I think I was more excited than she was. I don’t think it really hit her at first (that she was going to state), but as it settled in she gave that big smile. She has two rounds of golf left in her high school career and we will approach it the same as always: One hole at a time.”
The Valley Morning Star had a chance to stop by a recent practice to get to know the senior a little more before she competes at Grey Rock Golf Course in Austin today and Tuesday.
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Q: What was your first reaction when you found out you had qualified for state.
CHRISTA: When I found out I qualified for state, my body went numb. I was in complete shock, but I felt happy due to the fact that I was so proud of myself because I accomplished a goal I set for this year. I remember finishing on my last hole and coach came up to me and said, ‘You have a chance of qualifying.’ Once I heard that, I was like, ‘are you serious?’ I honestly could not believe what I had heard. Once I realized I did qualify for state, I did not know what to think or what to do. All I could do was smile.
Q: What did you do differently this season?
CHRISTA: I changed my mentality going into this season. I knew it was my last year to do something with my golfing career and I did not want to regret anything. I pushed myself harder this year and took practices seriously. I was focused more than I was last year, and I actually fixed my mistakes and learned from them.
Q: How did you get into golf?
CHRISTA: My freshman year is when I decided to join golf. I did not join golf because I liked it, however. I joined it because I wanted to try something different. I honestly did not know anything about golfing or how you played. My friend, Megan, decided to join golf with me because we wanted to see what it was like. I remember being so frustrated because I could never hit the ball, but I was barely starting off. It turned out that I grew love for this sport and wanted to better myself at it so I continued to play.
Q: What are your expectations at state?
CHRISTA: To get a better score than I did at regionals. I hope that I play better than I did then because I like to set goals for myself. I shot a 90 the first day and a 92 the second day. Therefore, I want to shoot a 90 and below because that has been another one of my goals this season.
Q: Do you have any athletes that have inspired you?
CHRISTA: I do not really have a specific athlete that has inspired me. My inspiration comes from the people around me such as my friends, family and coaches. They inspire me to be the best I can be and I thank them for that. I don’t know where I’d be without them because they have pushed me past my limits and I constantly complained, but it was worth it.
Q: What has motivated you most this season?
CHRISTA: My motivation for this season was based on trying to make my friends, family and coach proud. No one has ever made it to state in golf from Santa Rosa so I set a goal for myself to become the first person. Coach Ayala has pushed me so much throughout my golfing career and I don’t know how I can ever thank him. His motivation is what got me where I am today. Also, my family has pushed me to succeed in everything I do so without them I don’t know if I would have been able to accomplish this. In addition, my friends have motivated me to be the best I can be. Even though I would complain about going to golf practice, one friend would always tell me, ‘it is going to pay off sooner or later.’ As it turned out, here I am on my way to the state golf tournament so I guess you can say it paid off.
Q: What is the toughest thing that you have had to overcome and how did you do it?
CHRISTA: The toughest thing I have had to overcome this season would be how I played at district. District was my worst tournament this year and I was so furious because of the way I ended my last district tournament. My score ended up being in the 100s so I ended up disappointing myself. I overcame this by focusing harder and actually motivating myself during practices. I did not want to go into regionals and disappoint myself again so I dedicated myself to picking myself back up. I remember I cried out of frustration, but I knew I had to practice and better myself as a player if I wanted to advance to state.
If you go
Class 3A state golf tourney
-When: Today and Tuesday
-Where: Grey Rock Golf Course, 7401 TX-45, Austin
-Tee time: Christa tees off at 9:05 a.m. today on hole No. 10
