Sumter's Next Generation, presented by CCTC: Sumter High, SCHSL president Kelly Gristwood strives to lead by example, inspires peers to 'be great'

For Sumter High's Kelly Gristwood, the golf course is more than just a field of play - it's a place of peace, reflection and growth. The vibrant green where she and her varsity golf teammates frequent has become her "safe space" in recent years, allowing her to putt into lessons of patience, resilience and power of persistence.

Her passion for golf reflects a larger truth about her approach to life: She's dedicated to becoming her best self and inspiring those around her to do the same.

As a senior Gamecock, she has had a catalog of achievements during her high school journey, from being a First Priority representative and secretary of both School Improvement and Student Advisory councils to a National Honor Society member, International Baccalaureate student and president of South Carolina High School League Student Athlete Advisory Council.

The latter opportunity came on a day that Kelly remembers "vividly." In the midst of Chad Hoshour's IB History Class, English teacher Amanda Blankenship delivered the news Kelly had been nominated for the state council. After being accepted, she met with council advisors and other student council members from across South Carolina. She was sought out by her advisor for the presidential role, and with the full support of her peers, she stepped into the role with passion.

"I just felt so comfortable. I felt like I had known them for years, and it was just such a neat experience seeing other athletes from my state coming together for other athletes," Kelly said, beaming about the entire experience. "Now I get to run the meetings, and it's just something that I love doing. I love leading people toward greatness, and being a leader is just something that's always been natural to me, being the first born of my family. I've always felt like in order to be great, you have to see great. So, I try to put that out there for them just to excel."

And that can be in more ways than one. At the heart of Kelly's academic experience is her participation in the IB program. Aimed to help students ages 3-19 develop their knowledge in a range of subjects and disciplines, IB also seeks to aid in them becoming "confident, self-motivated and resilient global citizens." Through history, biology and English, Kelly isn't just learning facts; she's discovering her own limits and how to go beyond them.

"It's such an amazing program for me, especially coming from a private school when I was younger and just being raised to have [that] 'If you want better, do better' sort of mindset," Kelly expressed. "I know that whenever I work, I work toward the greatest I can be, and with IB, I really found a community of students just like me who are really striving for those goals."

Alongside academic endeavors, she's passionate about sports, golf in particular - a love that took her by surprise. Coming from an Atlanta Braves family and after years of softball, it was a spontaneous moment on a park outing during her junior year that led her to ask Coach John Berry, "When do golf tryouts start?" The next day, Kelly took a swing at the sport. A year later, she's landing a hole in one using a nine-degree driver and making it to SCHSL 5A Division I state championships in October 2024. After graduation, she's on to college, planning to study business administration and sports management in hopes of one day owning a major league baseball team.

And like any athlete, losses can come just as often as wins. Experiencing them through sports has allowed Kelly to mature as both an athlete and a person. It's part of life, she reasoned, and there is nothing wrong with a good cry afterward. What's important is that after drying your tears, you strive to be better, she said as a reminder to herself and advice to her peers.

"Take the step, get out there, get out of your comfort zone because that's what I did when I got to high school … it really sparked my new personality, and by the time sophomore [and] junior year rolled around, I was a completely different person. I had a new outlook on life, I had new interests," she explained. "Take that chance when you get it because you never know where it's gonna [lead]."