by “My Indian name is Ciixetehociiwi meaning she lives in a big house,” said Jenna Quackenbush. “I am a part of the Hocaak (Ho-Chunk) Nation and the Caa (deer) clan. I am 18 years old and I attended Black River Falls High School. My parents are Bill and Lisa Quackenbush, my brothers are Lucas and Zachary and my sister is Mackenzie.”
“I played for the Black River Falls HS girls varsity golf team all four years of high school,” said Jenna. “My senior year I was happy to be the teams captain for the year. My sophomore and junior year I placed honorable mention for our Coulee Conference. My senior year I was proud to make it to the second team Coulee Conference placing top ten in our area. My senior year I won the WIAA Scholar Athlete Award and presented the All-State High School Golf Team award for our high honors. Each year my mom recorded my scores for every match and every year I grew and my scores got lower.”
“Clan, kinship, and family roles all play a part in my day to day life,” said Jenna. “One core value I’ve always held above everything else is to be respectful. In golf, it goes a long way because you are playing with people you have never met before, so being respectful to those around you allows to make those kind relationships much easier. I’ve always been taught to be kind and respectful by my parents because that is what people notice in life. Helping others has played a large role in my golf career as well.”
“My senior year I was team captain, having to help the other girls, run practices, and sometimes teach techniques,” said Jenna. “Helping others is very important to me because it brings joy and meaning to every aspect of life.”
“My parents, siblings, and coaches have brought a great influence on my life,” said Jenna. “My parents and siblings were the people that taught me to be who I am, started my golf career, and taught me how to play at a young age.”
“Jenna knows a genuine smile and an authoritative suggestion can save the day for an individual vs. other methods that could be used during a round of competitive golf,” said dad Bill. “She’s also come to the realization that if you’ve tried something over and over again and it doesn’t work, trying something new isn’t going to fair any worse and perhaps it’ll have a better result. Her ability to relay this to others is where she begins to shine as a team leader.”
“Jenna, being of Ho-Chunk decent, has a traditional Deer Clan name of Cixere hocirawiiga, and means ‘She Lives In A Big House’. At one time in life if you were gifted with a large family and you oversaw the care for many under your roof, this required a large home and much parental leadership to keep. This isn’t so much of a proud boisterous aspect as it is an honorable entrusting attribute. Jenna takes to heart her traditional roles in life and that even within her traditionally given name, she understands and naturally reflects leadership qualities that allow her to excel throughout life,” added Bill.
One of Jenna’s leadership qualities is she listens well,” said Bill. “We’ve always taught our children hearing and listening are two separate processes. Many hear, but few truly listen. Listening requires retention and the ability to use the information in a positive productive way. Jenna has a great skill in that she has learned to listen and then use what she needs from this.”
“The second part of this is a leader also listens to others effectively in order to assist or instruct others if needed. Jenna has a nurturing spirit about her that fellow team members are naturally attracted to for comfort, support and even instructive criticism. Jenna always leads by example and that helps greatly in her ability to suggest trying new ways when something doesn’t work, especially when it comes to real-time adjustments on the golf course,” added Bill.
“Each time she would leave during the morning to a youth golf camp, middle school golf outing and with her high school team, we would always tell her simple words of encouragement to help ease her mind throughout the long day,” said Bill. “Jenna mentioned she relied on our input and support, and all those little suggestions, be it something as simple as ‘keep your head down’, or more complex such as to persevere and overcome through some insurmountable obstacles at that time.”
“My coach throughout high school taught me better techniques in golf that helped me grow each year,” said Jenna.
“Jenna was a quiet leader,” said coach Mary Danielson. “She played four years on varsity for me. She was a consistent steady player. She has a great sense of humor. She would always write the name ‘Kevin’ on her golf ball. No reason … just because. She’s a great girl! I’ll miss having her on the team.”
“In 2017 I was able to go to the North American Indigenous Games with Team Wisconsin’s girls golf team,” said Jenna. “I competed against people all over the United States and Canada. I was so proud to go to Toronto and have the time of my life while I was there golfing.”
“Another coach I had for a brief amount of time was Ariel Hall who coached me at the North American Indigenous Games,” said Jenna. “She taught me that golf is relaxing and it’s nothing to stress about.”
“Jenna displayed excellent sportsmanship on and off the course,” said coach Ariel Hall. “She was always willing to give that extra to reach her goals and put in extra hours on the course. Jenna was an international golfer! She was on the Team Wisconsin North American Indigenous Games ladies golf team and competed in Canada! Jenna was coachable and driven to be competitive always showing that ‘Jenna’ smile.”
“It’s hard for indigenous kids to achieve good grades at times but I’m someone that they could look up to and see that it is achievable for Native Americans to be top of their class,” said Jenna.
Photo Credit: Lucas Quackenbush
Jenna,
Congrats on your award. You are very deserving of this award because of your hard work and smile. My Arcadia girls always enjoyed playing with you and the Coulee Conference golfers will miss you this Fall. Thanks for an enjoyable 4 years of golf.