Jesayen juxtaposes screams of student section to quiet of golf course
May 11, 2019
The Coppell High School student section bursts into screams and hollers, faces painted black, white and red, and hearts soaring with each throw of the football. Amidst them stands CHS senior Jordan Jesayen, cheering at the top of his lungs in the cool October evening.
Later that year, Jesayen stands on a golf course, reading the green and listening to the sound of silence.
Jesayen has played golf since sixth grade and is an active member of the CHS student section. A stark contrast exists between the environment of a golf course and the environment of the crowds at a football or basketball game, though Jesayen finds both areas to be central parts of his life.
“Golf can be a stressful sport, but just because of my easy-going personality, it makes golf a stress reliever for me,” Jesayen said. “On the flip side, in a student section, being social, being loud, it’s just something that really energizes a sports team, which is ultimately the goal of the student section. I like to get loud and crazy, and so being in the student section environment gives me the opportunity to let loose a little bit.”
Golf became part of Jesayen’s life when his father, Amal Jesayen, took him to Hank Haney Golf Ranch at Vista Ridge. Finding the experience to be relaxing, he kept wanting to go back. Now a team captain for the CHS golf team, Jesayen has experienced a relatively successful golf career.
“Getting multiple scholarship opportunities to play [at the University of Texas at Dallas and Oklahoma Christian University] is something I’m really proud of,” Jesayen said. “I know it’s something I’m going to take advantage of at the next level. I do intend on trying to get to the next level and excelling in that as well.”
As for the student section, fellow student section member and baseball and basketball player CHS senior Carter Kryzak has been on both the giving and receiving end of the cheers and knows their significance.
“There are really two reasons [why I participate in the student section],” Kryzak said. “The first is camaraderie with me and the other people in the student section, it’s good for school unity. And also if I support other people and their events, they’re more likely to support me, and a community based on supporting each other is really going to be helpful.”
While golf, by nature, is not a cheering sport, Jesayen and his teammates still feel the school’s support.
“You still have to show your support, but the way you show it is obviously different from other sports,” Kryzak said. “For example, I’ll talk to [Jesayen] about how his round is or how he played in a particular tournament. It’s basically like how I receive support from the student section, he can receive support from people’s interest in the sport.”
Even without masses of adoring fans hollering at tournaments, Jesayen finds no issue with it.
“Ever since I was little playing junior tournaments you never really had large crowds, so having large crowds in high school would be weird,” Jesayen said. “I kind of enjoy it, something to just keep to myself. That way too, if I mess up, no one would see me.”
Jesayen brings his outgoing personality into his golf career, building relationships and creating small talk as he plays.
“[Jesayen] is a very social person,” CHS golf coach Chris Stricker said. “He loves people, you can tell he gets energy off of people. He’s kind of like the life of the party. Everyone knows who Jordan is, and he cares about people, and it’s great.”
Jesayen’s sociability is not limited to his own teammates.
“The entire goal is to have fun, right?” Jesayen said. “So when I go out and play, it’s always important to try to get to know the other guys and make new friends. It’s another social avenue, another way I’ve met friends over the years. There are people who live three hours away who I keep in touch with, just because we played on a golf course one time.”
Through loud actions to support other sports and his own participation in one of the quietest of sports, Jesayen has become himself a well-known figure in the halls of CHS. Aware of the polar opposite areas, Jesayen finds he is still a social person, no matter what volume his voice is at.
“On the golf course, you got to use your inside voice, although you’re outside,” Jesayen said. “It’s weird because I’m not a quiet person, but just on a golf course, I just learned to be quiet. And then on the other side, being in a student section, you just scream as loud as you can. The goal is you don’t have a voice the next day. It’s two completely different sides of the spectrum.”
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