Student-Athlete of the Week: Halie Ostrom

Like Goldilocks, it took recent Niwot graduate Halie Ostrom a few tries before she found the sport that checked all the right boxes.

"I did gymnastics until fifth grade, and then I did swimming until fifth grade too, and I think I played a little soccer," she recalled of her early athletic endeavors. "With swimming, the water was too cold, so I didn't really enjoy getting in and out of the pool all of the time. Gymnastics was just really expensive, and it took up a lot of time. It took like four hours every single day. So there was golf. My parents did it, and so it was something we could all do together."

From those inauspicious beginnings, Ostrom has risen to become one of the most competitive golfers in Class 4A over the past four seasons, with three state tournament appearances, two Region 5 runner-up titles, and a state runner-up title. In 2021, she assumed Niwot's number one position, and went on to win four individual tournament titles, and lead her team to the inaugural Longs Peak League title. Late last month, Ostrom was named the LPL Player of the Year, an announcement that took her by surprise.

"I didn't know they chose it based on score, I thought it was based on something else. I thought Sydney could have won it," she said, referring to junior teammate Sydney Rothstein, Niwot's number-two golfer. "And I'm really proud of Ed for winning Coach of the Year. He's a really good coach."

Niwot head coach Ed Weaver returned the compliment, but admitted he and Ostrom have clashed over the years. At times, she has struggled with consistency during tournaments, and has been known to express her frustrations in colorful language. Nonetheless, her game and stroke have improved markedly during her time with the team, Weaver said, and she's been a key factor in Niwot's recent rise to state title contender.

"Halie's a very talented golfer," he said. "She works at it in the off-season, and has gotten much more accurate with her irons and with her tee shots."

Later this month, Ostrom will get the chance to lead the Cougars for a final time, at the Class 4A state golf championships, slated for on June 21-22 at Common Ground golf course in Aurora. She is cautiously optimistic about the Cougars' prospects at the upcoming championships, especially after her mixed performance at the 2019 state championships in Windsor.

"I never really got the chance to redeem myself sophomore year when I had a 15 on one of the holes," she said, referring to the canceled 2020 season. "That's something that's going to be motivating me-the memory of that."

Ostrom is also looking forward to spending additional time with her teammates, and counts "hanging out" time on prior state trips among her favorite high school memories.

"My freshman year, my sister also qualified for state for the first time, so it was really nice to go to state with her," she said of her older sister Mya Ostrom, who was a senior during Halie's freshman season, and had to rush out of a school test to return to the regional tournament for a playoff hole in 2018. "I liked how we got to travel and bond as a team while we went to Colorado Springs. It was a lot of fun."

Off the course, Ostrom recently completed Niwot's demanding International Baccalaureate program, and also participated in diving and marching band during her four years at Niwot. In August, Ostrom is headed to the South Dakota School of Mines in Rapid City, where she will be reunited with her sister, who is pursuing a degree in petroleum engineering. Halie plans to study civil engineering in finance, and can't wait to visit nearby Mt. Rushmore.