Student-Athlete of the Week: Jesse Horn

There's almost nothing normal about the way Jesse Horn's senior year at Niwot High started, so he's grateful for the one thing in his daily routine that hasn't changed much in 2020-the boys golf season. With classes conducted remotely and marching band performances on hold, Horn said having practice with his friends to look forward to every afternoon has kept him centered.

"I definitely did not expect golf to be the most normal thing so far," the third-year veteran said. Golf is one of only four high school sports allowed to proceed in Colorado this fall, and the only one that survived strict modifications and a shortened schedule. "It's definitely helped with figuring out how everything works with scheduling. It's definitely different, but it helps to have practice."

That said, the 2020 season has been abnormal for Horn in at least one respect-his scoring average. New to the sport as a sophomore, he spent most of his first two seasons working on his game with the junior varsity squad and didn't see much tournament action. This year, however, he's played in three of the team's five varsity events, and carded a personal best at the Eaton Invitational on August 13.

"Jesse is very coachable, very reliable, and he always does what we tell him to do," Niwot head coach Ed Weaver said of the senior's improvement this season. "He's also a great character guy and a good teammate."

Horn credited his progress to an increase in off-season playing time, as well as pandemic-related adjustments to the golf rules that let him play in tournaments with his teammates.

"It's definitely better than last year," Horn said. "I played really bad last year, but I've been practicing a lot during the summer and I've gotten my score down quite a bit... Playing with the team has also been beneficial because it's less stressful and you're in an environment with guys you know."

While golf continues apace, Horn's other main pursuits-music and Boy Scouts-are in a holding pattern for now, much to the senior's chagrin. A talented trombone player, Horn is now in his fourth year with the Cougar band and was recently selected to be section leader for the low-brass instruments, including tuba, sousaphone, and baritone, which he took up for fun last year.

"It wasn't necessarily hard," he said of learning the valved instrument. "I just thought of it in trombone terms as in each fingering as positions. But it's definitely heavier."

Ordinarily, Horn would have spent the summer learning new music and choreography with the Niwot High School marching band, but pandemic guidelines (and lack of a football season) have severely curtailed those activities. Instead, the band is playing together through remote WebEx sessions, which are going better than expected, but still aren't quite the same.

As for his other remote classes, Horn said those are also going better than expected in 2020-21 and definitely better than they did after schools closed to in-person learning in March. In addition to band, he is taking a mix of STEM-focused AP and IB classes, including AP Economics, the only class he has in common with his twin brother Thomas.

"I thought the WebEx sessions would glitch or lag, but we haven't had as many technical difficulties. I remember when I went on in the spring on the first day, to Schoology, the platform that we use, just wasn't working at all because there were so many people on it at one time. It's definitely a better learning environment."

Outside of school, Horn is an Eagle Scout in Niwot Boy Scout Troop 161, a rank he achieved by earning at least two dozen merit badges and completing a community service project. In April 2019, he planned and supervised the construction of several raised garden beds at The Inn Between of Longmont, a non-profit organization that provides transitional housing and support services to aid the homeless. Horn was even able to provide starter plants to the residents, thanks to a generous donation from Growing Gardens.

"That was the hardest part of the project-going to businesses and asking for donations or discounts."

In his free time, Horn enjoys hiking and backpacking in the Colorado and Wyoming mountains. Looking ahead to life after high school, Horn is planning to study mechanical engineering at Mizzou, Purdue, or Embry-Riddle, and hopes to continue playing trombone in some capacity.