BY DEANNE REVEL
Name: Nikki Stewart
Age: 18
Class: First-Year
Major: Fashion Design
Hometown: Aliso Viejo, Calif.
Sports team: SCAD Women’s Golf
Position: 1 of 9
Nikki Stewart has been named as the Sun Conference’s Women’s Golf Athlete of the Month. Stewart led the women’s golf team with a 153 total at the Spring Break Collegiate Mesquite Tournament in Mesquite, Nev., bumping Stewart to the number one position on the team.
District: So, how does it feel to be number one as a freshman?
Stewart: It something I wasn’t expecting coming to SCAD. There’s already so much talent. My roommate Kelsey Klatt was conference player of the month last month and now I’m conference player of the month this month. It’s kind of surprising.
District: Favorite shot?
Stewart: My favorite and my strongest would be my drive.
District: What’s your weakest?
Stewart: [laughs] My putting.
District: So how do you fare with miniature golf?
Stewart: I mean I’m a very competitive person. But miniature golf for me can be frustrating because it’s not like real putting. It loosens you up and you’re not trying to predict the shots. No, it ends up being a lot of fun.
District: What does Sun Conference Women’s Golf Athlete of the Month mean to you?
Stewart: It’s very special to me. It will help me grow as a player because I know I have potential.
District: Golf is individualized. How does a team change the dynamic?
Stewart: It’s challenging to think about when you play on the course. Let’s say you are having a bad day. You have to step back and say I need to score well but I also need to score well for my team, too. Sometimes you get selfish and you have to remember that you are playing for the team. What you do reflects your team.
District: What do you think about your team?
Stewart: I love my team. That was part of the reason why—I mean I wanted to go to an art school—but when I met the team I knew they were a great group of girls. They’re athletes and artists and that’s what I feel I am. We’re just all really supportive.
District: As a fashion major, do you approve of your team’s uniforms?
Stewart: I’m not a huge fan of uniforms. I don’t even like golf clothes. Our coach [Amanda Workman] is pretty stylish she knows what she’s doing.
District: Will women’s golf make it to finals this year?
Stewart:I think we have a really big chance. We just have to step it up. We have a really strong team this year and a lot of talent.
District: Do you apply anything from your art to golf?
Stewart: There’s a mental aspect about it. With golf you never have the same shot twice and I feel that’s the same with art. It’s always changing. Things aren’t always constant with art. There are always different perspectives. That’s what I like about it—it’s never the same. And they are both constant challenges too.
District: What do you find artistic about golf?
Stewart: Golf is a very technical sport.
District: Is golf a hobby or a sport?
Stewart: The way I look at it, golf is noncontact so it’s only you. When you play soccer or basketball, there are people running into you. But when you are playing golf the only person that can help you is yourself. It’s a battle—the entire round is a battle with yourself.
District: Does SCAD provide a caddy?
Stewart: [laughs] No. No. No. We carry our own.
District: To follow Stewart and women’s golf visit: www.scadathletics.com.
