Interview with golfer Nikki Marquardt
One of my very best friends, part of my inner circle, someone I trust and will never end a Snapchat streak with is Nikki. She is my first interview for Once An Athlete because she is one of my biggest supporters and she wants to share her story. I already knew most of the answers to these questions that I asked her in this interview, but I wanted to let her share her story and allow readers to get to know her like I do. I loved this conversation because she showed how dedicated and strong she is with the adversity she faced her freshman year of college. I hope readers can relate with her experience and she can be an inspiration.
Some background: I have known Nikki since our freshman orientation at the University of Tulsa in the fall of 2014. She played golf and I played softball. TU is a very small campus with less than 4,000 students. We participated in Division 1 athletics in the American Athletic Conference.
Nikki grew up in Chicago, Illinois, her favorite place to visit is Scottsdale, AZ, her favorite sport/activity is golf, her favorite tv show is Yellowstone, and she’s currently watching Billions. Her dream car is a Jeep Wrangler which she currently drives. Her dream golf foursome team would be Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth, and Arnold Palmer at the Augusta National Golf Club.
Q: When did you start playing sports?
A: As soon as I can walk. Say, 2 years old.
Q: When did you start playing competitively and what sports?
A: 3 sports: Soccer at 8, Softball at 8, Golf at 14
Q: How did growing up in Chicago affect your sport?
A: It’s very competitive in every sport in Chicago. There was such a big pool of kids to compete with and against. My recruiting class was one of the most competitive in golf and highest ranking in the nation at that time.
Q: What made you choose Tulsa? How did you like it?
A: I always envisioned going to a big university, like a power 5, and went on a ton of recruiting visits. My senior year of high school, Tulsa called for an official visit after my senior golf season was done that fall, so I came on homecoming weekend. I fell in love with the school, the golf program, the history of athletics there, the national championships in the program, the weather, and the great facilities. I absolutely loved the school and had great professors. Class sizes were very manageable with the ability to know professors and classmates. It was cozy. I gained lifelong friends through teammates who live around the world now, and it was super cool to have friends in different sports. Walking to class you would see all these people you know in just the short path. It was a small campus that was super gorgeous and walking to class was easy.
Q: In what ways has playing sports shaped your life today?
A: Being in sports / athletics has made me a more well rounded person by the experiences I’ve encountered. I don’t think I would have had these experiences without sports. The teammates, camaraderie, and competitiveness were able to foster my experiences and it without a doubt has shaped who I am today in many regards. The exposure Tulsa offered at a Division I level and the situations I faced forced me to stand up for myself in ways I hadn’t prior in my life. Having tough coaches and competing against your friends every day in practice makes you stronger. When I was younger, I was more timid and now I can speak up for myself because of the situations I have been through in sport and I have taken those experiences into my life.
Q: What was your favorite part about being a student-athlete?
A: My top 3 favorite parts were the relationships, the experiences, and the life lessons learned. The relationships have to be the best part. Having the ability to interact with other athletes on other teams were amazing. When you are so focused on your own sport all day everyday, it’s nice to step away from it and watch other sports and competitions. I was fortunate enough to be given massive opportunities during my time at Tulsa because of the high level of D1 athletics. Our training facility access, abundance of golf courses, and a competitive schedule were a few of my favorites that you wouldn’t have if you didn’t play at a nice D1 college. The experience was another one of my favorite things and I know I was extremely fortunate to have had these opportunities. Lastly, by being a student athlete, I have learned many important life skills and some that stand out are time management and discipline skills.
Q: How did your sports career come to an end?
A: I played at the highest competitive level that I felt I could achieve at and still enjoy my college D1 athletic experience. I would have loved to play professionally, but made the decision to pursue my business career after graduation.
Q: Did you consider being a full time coach?
A: I’ve never considered it too hard. I absolutely love the sport and loved the competitive journey I had, but wanted to pursue other career paths. Another hard, but true reality in women’s sports is the pay gap and I would be lying if that didn’t have a factor in considering being a coach or playing professionally.
Q: Did you face any adversity at Tulsa?
A: Freshman year was tough. I faced a stress reaction in my left shin, so I was stuck in a boot for awhile and that took me out of playing for quite a few weeks. Then, a tear in my tendon in my right wrist was finally diagnosed after being pushed off for some time and once I received an MRI I was finally diagnosed. This led to the determination of red-shirting that year which was ultimately the best decision. Right after the leg injury, my coach had me go play a round and I didn’t play too well, so my coach brought me in for a meeting. She told me I should transfer and it would be the best decision for me. That day I decided not to transfer because I had great friends, great teammates, loved the school, and I had a strong level of fight in me. Additionally with golf, you’re fighting week in and week out for tournament spots and unlike other sports you don’t travel the whole team. You only travel 5 out of however many are on the team, so you’re leaving behind 3+ girls per tournament. Being left behind, it’s tough when it’s obvious you were left home and the rest of the team is competing. Being able to fight those battles in your head and come out the next week being able to pick up and compete for a spot again is grueling, but made me a fighter.
(Side note- I saw how Nikki would bounce back from not qualifying one week but qualifying the next and I was proud of her for that. I also have other close friends on the team and I was proud of them for the same thing. Their competitiveness was admirable and they all supported each other)
Q: You still are involved with the sport and you still go golfing. How are your golfing days now different than when you were in college?
A: Everything. It’s hard because now I’m in the real world, I have a full time job, so I’m not able to practice and train for the same amount of time as I did before. The commitment is not the same. As you can imagine, I still hold myself to the same expectations as my college peak level.
Q: What did you do for a career after golf ended? And how did you get into that?
A: After receiving my MBA, I started working for the PGA of America, one of golf’s major organizations. I started as an intern and am now in a managerial role. My team and I plan and put on spectator championships at the professional level for the best players in the world. I sell corporate hospitality and sales to the event.
Q: Did you struggle with your college / competitive career ending? And how did you figure out what to do next?
A: Yes, I struggled with it because it was such a large part of my life. It was something I defined my life by. Something so big in my life to just disappear is challenging. You don’t get to enjoy the teammates everyday, camaraderie, all that sort of deal. When I realized playing at the professional level wasn’t realistic, I wanted to keep golf in my life so I applied for and got the position for an internship at PGA. I am fortunate to keep golf in my life in that regard.
Q: What advice would you give to current student-athletes?
A: Enjoy and embrace every good and bad moment that you have in your playing career in college. Don’t be too hard on yourself because you only have this opportunity for this 4 year time of your life. Enjoy it to your fullest. Golfers: work harder than everyone else around you and figure out what competitive advantage you have or can have. If you want to succeed, learn how you can outperform others because it’s an individual sport so it’s okay to be competitive with yourself and have your teammates by your side.
Q: What advice would you give to someone who is recently done playing a sport?
A: Find some way that you can still make that sport some part of your life. Whether it’s in a small way or a big way. You could use the workout routine, join a league, a club team, cheer on old teammates, attend sporting events, etc.
Q: Do you have anything else to add?
A: General inspiration and advice I have for readers is to work on or at least try to accept that there is a different life for you after your sport. You’re not going to be able to play forever. Be okay with that in your mind, figure out other things you enjoy in life, and don’t let the sport define you.
If you have any more questions for Nikki, please leave comments below or contact me. If you or someone you know is struggling, please call the Suicide Hotline. It’s toll free and available 24/7 at 800-273-8255.
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