The First Tee Orange County Player of the Year is Parkview student, Gabriella Mercado

The First Tee of Orange County accomplishes its mission to build positive character traits in youth through programs that seamlessly integrate core values, healthy habits and the fundamentals of golf. Each Life Skills Experience session includes a classroom aspect to reinforce The First Tee Nine Core Values and Nine healthy Habits. The nine core values are respect, courtesy, responsibility, honesty, sportsmanship, confidence, judgement, perseverance, and integrity.

These are the reasons Gabriella’s coaches chose her.

Coach Sami: (Lead Instructor)
“It was an easy deciosn for me to choose Gabriella as the player of the year and normally its a tough one since we have many great students in the program. However, Gabriella probably had the toughest year out of all the players but that never pulled her away from her goals, passion and the prgoram,” shared Coach Sami.  “Instead, she faced her fears, challenges and sorrows head on and persevered through it all. Her ability to remain present, positive, respecful and open to coaching is just beyond her years. It’s a priviledge to coach Gabriella as she makes those around her happy and remind me why I coach. Our program is to help young people build character and leadership through the game of golf, but every now and then you get students like Gabriella who end up teaching you.”

Coach Jason (Lead Instructor)
“Our program’s mission is to promote high character traits in young people while helping them improve their golf skills. It’s like we are helping them climb to the top of this high character mountain, but with Gabriella, it’s like she has been at the top of the mountain since I met her. She’s up there trying to figure out ways to help others get up ther with her. She is so polite and so respecful at such a young age, it is extremely impressive,” Coach Jason stated. “We advance players in our program based off of their behavior so it is not a coincidence that she is the youngest Eagle participant in class! It seemed more appropriate to give her Player of the Year instead of just Player of the Day every single day. I’m happy to be the coach lucky enough to have her in my class this session.”

Coach Teal (Program Director)
“I don’t think I have ever met someone who is as wise beyond her years as sweet Gabriella. She is well mannered, posed, and very likeable, but beyond that she is genuinely a sweet soul and a very loving person,” Coach Teal said. “I think it’s less to do with who she is and more to do with how she makes everyone else feel who has the priviledge to be around her. Gabriella radiates joy, she makes her coaches feel like we are doing something right and she is an absolute pleasure to be around. Gabriellas is also a very hard worker, which is so admirable. She is always at Open Practice and she is in classes as much as possible. Her perseverence is commendable and she should be recognized for that as well. She has turned herself into quite a little golfer due to her hard work. No one gave her any of that………..she went out and took it!”

Parkview continues to be very proud of Gabriella and her continued progress on the golf course, in the classroom, and in her personal relationships.

Gabriella is one in a million!