Elle Bolkema has become a name synonymous with Spring Arbor Women's Golf. The senior from Hudsonville, Michigan has been near the top of the team leaderboards for her entire career, consistently posting top-ten finishes. However, despite her accolades and accomplishments on the golf course, Bolkema has left her mark on Spring Arbor in many other ways, specifically with her faith, being involved with multiple ministries on campus, as well as letting her faith guide her actions and attitude on the course.
Here is an in-depth look on how she does that:
How do you connect your spiritual and athletic life here at SAU?
"Being a follower of Christ is connected to all that I do! In my athletic life, I try and do
everything for the glory of God. The way that I play, the effort I put in, and my
interactions with teammates and the competition are all to bring God glory."
How do you see God currently working in your sport?
"I see the Lord working through golf by giving me the ability to share the ways Christ
has transformed me. I am able to show His love to the girls I play against through my
attitude and in conversations with them. I see this among my teammates as well.
We are all learning how to share and live like Christ out on the course. He is working in the heart and culture of our team. He is turning our program into a program that is centered on Him! He is unifying us and teaching us how to live for him while we golf and in our daily lives."
Do you have a favorite Bible verse or spiritual practice that encourages you as an athlete?
"A practice that encourages me is during our travel in the mornings and warm up on
the range I will listen to worship music. This helps me to realign my purpose of
glorifying God through golf, not glorifying myself! I will also remind myself of John
3:30 which says, "He must increase, but I must decrease." This verse reminds me
that everything I do is about Jesus and not myself."
What advice would you give to younger athletes who want to keep faith at the center of their sport?
"I would tell younger athletes to keep reminding themselves it's not just about their
sport! Your sport is just a way to give God glory and honor. He gave us the ability to
play, and we must give it back to him!"
In what ways has being a part of SAU Women's Golf helped you grow in your faith?
"Being on my team has taught me to trust in the Lord. Through ups and downs,
transitions, and the grind of being a college athlete, I've learned to rely on His plan
and goodness through it all. I have also learned a lot about leadership and what it
means to follow the leadership of the Lord, even when it's not easy."
How do you wrestle with the struggle of putting your identity in Christ vs. the temptation of putting it in your sport/success?
"It has been a long road of wrestling with my identity in relation to golf. In golf, you
can have a really good shot, and minutes later have a really bad shot. Because of
this, when my identity is in how I play I can feel really bad about myself pretty fast! I
constantly remind myself that my worth and identity comes from being a beloved
daughter of Christ. THAT is an identity that will never change or waver, even in my
successes and failures!"
