A Platform for Hope by Emma Talley
2/7/2022 10:32:00 AM | Women's Golf
Tornadoes really have two sides.
On the one hand, they mean destruction for anything in their path. Life-changing, heartbreaking destruction.
But on the other hand, be just outside of their reach, and your life doesn't change at all. It becomes one scary day.
Tornadoes have become a source of destruction to some of the places I love most.
The life-changing, heartbreaking kind of destruction.
My own neighborhood being one of them.
Home, sweet home
I'm from the small town of Princeton, Kentucky, and lived on the 16th hole of the Princeton Golf and Country Club. Needless to say, that course – my home course, is where I first fell in love with golf.
I was just nine years old when I remember having that feeling. In every other sport, it was about the team. But as selfish as this may sound, golf was about me. It was either my fault or my accomplishment. I could feel all the blame and all the praise.
I was in control of my destiny with golf. And I always knew I wanted to aim my destiny in the direction of the pros.
The Princeton Golf and Country Club was where everything started for me.
And this place, the one that first nurtured and supported me...
Destroyed!
On December 13, 2021.
In a matter of minutes.
Roll Tide, Roll
Princeton is probably the most important place to me — Tuscaloosa is a close second.
Coming out of high school, I was the nation's #1 recruit.
But I wanted to make sure I visited schools at every level — smaller ones close to home and bigger ones far away from home.
I visited way too many schools looking back on it. Like, more than 15 in total. But what I remember most was when Mic Potter started recruiting me in 7th grade.
Mic is a legend and Susan Rosenstiel is incredible. By the time I needed to make a commitment decision, they felt like family. And they both promised me they would be there for all four years.
When I heard them say that, I was sold.
Truth: I was sold when Nick Saban approached me on a visit and said, "Are you gonna commit or not because we build champions here?"
The transition to Alabama was a bit of a struggle.
At the time, I had never really been away from home.
There is no way you can prepare for the sheer amount of work it takes to be a student-athlete. But by the time Christmas break hit during my freshman year in 2012, I didn't even want to go back home.
I fell in love with Alabama.
I felt surrounded by success. It truly felt like an environment that breeds champions.
The tornado in Tuscaloosa
The year before I got to Alabama, Tuscaloosa was hit by a massive tornado.
I remember seeing all the damage on TV.
I remember checking in with the girls to make sure they were okay.
I remember one of my friends and her boyfriend having to shelter in the bathtub — and that bathroom being the only thing left standing after the tornado came through their area.
What I remember most is how long it has taken to get everything cleaned up. It still seemed fresh when I got there, the damage.
Through the years, I've been able to watch this community rebuild itself.
I've been able to watch people get their lives back.
But I've also seen people who haven't. People who are still rebuilding. And I’ve heard too many stories that still cite the tornado as the cause of so many problems in their lives.
Realizing reality
On neither occasion was I physically at the tornado site. I hadn't gotten to Alabama yet, and when it hit my neighborhood, I was visiting New Zealand with my boyfriend.
It's hard to believe the damage of a tornado until you see it with your own eyes. When my sister called me to tell me about the tornado coming through Princeton, then to where she lived in Bowling Green, I was really worried, obviously.
And when my parents called me the next morning to tell me about everything that was destroyed, I was absolutely devastated.
You have this perception of what that "damage" might look like. But when I went back to Princeton to see it for myself, it was a whole different experience.
And to be honest, I can't even explain to you what it looks like.
What I can tell you is that so much beauty is gone – the back of the golf course, beautiful homes filled with character, local staples filled with history.
It's hard to have the mentality that it's just stuff when it's your home, your place of comfort.
One of my friend's houses was completely destroyed. Right down to the foundation along with the camper in their garage. He and his family walked out unscathed but found out two of his aunts had passed away in the neighboring town.
No one can ever imagine what going through a tornado would be like.
I wasn't home when it hit in Kentucky, and I wasn't in Tuscaloosa either.
I can't possibly understand the feelings my friend has, dealing with that much tragedy in such a brief amount of time. But one thing I do understand is that tornadoes aren't just a one-day event.
These are the things that change the course of people's lives in a matter of seconds.
Restoring hope
You can't stop these things from happening. You can't control a tornado.
But I can make a conscious effort to do good with the platform I've created for myself.
As a junior at Alabama, I won the NCAA Championships which really confirmed where I thought I was in my golf career.
I finished college and then joined the Symetra Tour after I graduated in 2016.
I spent a year and a half on the Symetra Tour before earning my LPGA Tour card at the end of the 2017 season. Since then, I've been playing on the LPGA Tour.
I'm so thankful every day that I get to play the game I love. But I'm most thankful that what I can do can be used to help the communities I care so much about.
I started a GoFundMe with my hometown bank. In the first week, we raised around $150,000 that will go to the Chamber of Commerce and be used to help people whose insurance didn't cover all the damage, people whose insurance isn't helping at all, and people who don't have a way of transportation anymore.
As terrible as tornadoes are, through them, I've seen the humanity in people. The desire for people to do good and see good in others.
I've come to believe that everyone wants to help and that everyone has a good heart if you let them show you.
My mom always told me growing up, "Be good. Be kind. Be smart. Make a difference today." I want to use the platform the LPGA has given me, the willingness I have, and the power that social media offers to help put my community back on its feet.
It will be a long road for so many people.
The least I can do is use my brand to help the community that has always helped me.
The least I can do is give them hope.
