Robert Kowalenko '14 Recruiting Profile

Transfer from Siena Heights College looking for opportunity fall 2015.
If you need release contact:Fred Smith    Athletic Director    (517) 264-7876    [email protected]

We've all heard the adage that one's life is not necessarily defined by the things that happen to him, but rather how he reacts to the events. Although, I have been fortunate to grow up in a loving, supportive home, my adolescent years were filled with challenges. These challenges have not stalled my progress, but rather provided perspective. When I was 9 years old, I was playing outside, I fell and hit my head on the sidewalk. Within 4 hours I was in the ICU at the local children's hospital, unconscious. This single event changed my life, as I knew it at 9 years old. For an entire year I could not play hockey and soccer. I also suffered with post-concussion headaches. For the first time, I experienced physical and emotional pain. By age 11, the headaches were gone and I was back playing travel soccer. One day getting ready for my game, I noticed a white discoloration, the size of a quarter on my thigh. My pediatrician diagnosed it as a skin infection or fungus. However, the treatment didn't work. In fact, the patch grew and began to spread to areas more susceptible to injury from soccer: my knees, my elbows, and the sides of my thighs. Soon I had very little pigment left in those areas. Eventually, I was diagnosed with Vitiligo. This was devastating to me and quite scary. The cause is unknown. The immune system is affected. There is no cure and treatment is often ineffective. What made it worse was people were noticing. "What's wrong with your knees?" they asked. How could I explain this to them when I didn't fully understand it myself. When you look physically different, as minor as it might be, it can be challenging. Kids can be mean and judgmental. I stopped wearing shorts to school. I only wore long pants and long sleeved shirts. I feared the Vitiligo would spread to my face. I felt no one understood. I started disliking school because I felt people treated me differently. The saving grace for me, at this time, was playing travel soccer. I played on a nationally ranked, highly competitive team, whose greatest achievement was winning the ESPN Soccer Championship at Walt Disney World. I was honored to be the Captain of this team the last 3 years I played. Here I found a network of friends, and foes, who noticed my Vitiligo patches every time I went on the field wearing my soccer uniform, but never treated me differently. They respected my level of play, my leadership, and I respected them. We worked hard to achieve our goals, never leaving the field with any regrets. I was a leader to this team on and off the field. One of the hardest decisions I made was to leave this team to pursue golf full time. Golf was my passion and everybody knew it, especially when I started consistently beating the older, more experienced players. I stayed with soccer for so long because of the lessons I continually learned about training hard, being prepared, staying in the game mentally and physically, and overall smart, competitive play. I remember the day I told my coach of my decision to leave the game. I explained to him that the previous day I practiced putting for 4 hours straight, but outside of team practice, I never kicked a soccer ball anymore. This told us both that golf was my love, not soccer. Golf isn't easy. It can be lonely. It takes constant work, both mental and physical. Confidence is a big part of it. Although some might say confidence is something you "gain," I say confidence is something you "learn." When you learn how to stay in the game, diagnose and correct the mistakes when you are struggling, this teaches you confidence. What I have learned from dealing with ups and downs in life has helped my golf game. Sometimes you have bad shots, and sometimes you get lucky. Don't ever underestimate either. Don't get down by one event. Your success in life, as in the game of golf, is based on what you learn from a series of events.