by By Dan Ninham
Rosemount High School in Minnesota has a talented golfer and dance choreographer. The multi-talented student-athlete is 17-year old Sequoia Jarski. She is a member of the Three Affiliated Tribes and also a member of the Prairie Chicken clan.
“I am the daughter of Autumn Jarski,” said Sequoia. “I’m the granddaughter of Austin, Fond du Lac Ojibwe, and Martha Crows Flies High Jarski, Three Affiliated Tribes. I attend Rosemount High School in Rosemount, Minnesota and I’m going to be a senior.”
“I play golf,” said Sequoia. “I’ve been playing for almost nine years now. I’ve participated in many summer golf camps, and played in various golf competitions throughout Minnesota and North Dakota. I participated in Junior PGA summer league and also won awards in Drive, Chip and Putt Competition.”
“I have been dancing hip hop for almost seven years,” said Sequoia. “I have choreographed a dance routine and helped coach a team of dancers for my school’s yearly dance show. I participated in my school’s hip hop dance team that performed at school sporting events. I make my own dance routines and do covers of famous choreography.”
This “Dynamite Dance Cover” video clip is an example of Sequoia with a choreographed dance routine: https://youtu.be/HQZkURNSSyc
“One of my tribal values is that we learn to be respectful,” said Sequoia. “That has taught me to have respect for anyone or anything I come across in life. Respect is a big part of golf, school or just life in general. In golf, you need to be able to respect the people you play with, the course, or the officials. In school, you need to respect the teachers as well as your fellow students.”
“The biggest influence in my life was my grandmother Martha Crows Flies High Jarski,” said Sequoia. “She was my biggest fan and supporter when it came to playing golf and she always had the highest hopes for me when I would play. She also believed and stressed how important an education is. She would say an education is important because it’s one thing that nobody can take away from you. She passed away a year ago and her words have stuck with me and have made me want to become a better student-athlete.”
“My mother always provided for me and always believed that I could be the best I could be,” said Sequoia. “She pushes me to be a better student and a better athlete.”
“Sequoia’s had a ‘kind’ leadership,” said mom Autumn Jarski. “She has the ability to be able to teach people who have never golfed how to golf. Her explanation really gets through to whomever she teaches and they can quickly grasp the golf concept especially on the driving range. Since she was one of two eighth graders on the high school team at a young age, she has always stepped up and kindly accepted and encouraged younger golfers, especially the middle school golfers on the high school team. She encourages her teammates and even her competitors.”
“I met my golf coach, PGA Golf Instructor Barry Wallin, when I was 8 years old during a summer golf camp,” said Sequoia. “He has helped shape me into the athlete that I am today. I’ve been playing for his high school team since I was in eighth grade. He pushes the team as a whole when it comes to academics but he always stresses the importance of schoolwork and how we need to stay caught up. He taught me to have patience with the game of golf.”
“Sequoia has been playing golf for Rosemount HS since her eighth grade year,” said coach Barry Wallin. “This past summer I have seen her practicing quite a bit, and her game is getting better and better. While distance has always been her strength, she’s now matching that up with better iron play and an improved short game. I think she’ll be an excellent contributor to our team next spring.”
To perform at your best a student-athlete needs to balance the holistic areas of performance: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.
“Physically, I get 30 minutes or more of exercise every day,” said Sequoia. “I like to dance, it’s also something I do to channel my emotions through.”
“Emotionally, I write in journals, kind of like self-reflection,” said Sequoia. “It’s been something that I’ve been doing these past few months, it helps channel my emotions into something healthy and time consuming.”
“Mentally, I set goals,” said Sequoia. “I set goals for myself every few months because it helps me get into a healthy mindset and actually motivates me to do the things that I want to accomplish. I have a goal set to one day play in the LPGA.”
“Spiritually, I like to spend time in nature,” said Sequoia. “It’s very fun to go out into nature and just feel free or calm. It’s a stress reliever for me.”
The multi-talented Sequoia Jarski is moving forward in her young life to be the best she can be.
Photo Credit: Sequoia Jarski and Bob Loya
Thank you for this enjoyable article about a wonderful student and person in our community. Sequoia Jarski represents the best of us all. With people like her there is no limit to how much we can grow our communities together.