As quoted from a recent NJ.com article covering the Pingry girls golf win at the Somerset County championship, “When one thinks of Pingry girls golf … they think of defending state champion Rayee Feng.” This recognition is certainly deserved as the entire Pingry community has seen the incredible results of the hard work that Rayee puts into golf. From playing in the US Open as one of 26 amateurs to committing to further pursue her talent for golf at Harvard University in the fall, Rayee’s dedication has paid off. She is currently ranked #15 among all American Junior Golf Association girls players in the country.
Due to her overall dominance of the sport, I began to associate Rayee strongly with golf; whenever I heard about her, I would assume it had something to do with the game. So I was surprised to hear from my friends on the squash team that Rayee had decided to play squash during her senior year. I set up an interview with her to discuss this decision further.
Rayee described that she had little squash experience, but had played her freshman year as a way to get more exercise before getting injured. She explained that it was “really fun so [she] wanted to do it again.”
However, she described that moving from being a dominant leader to last on JV came with its own unique learning curve. Rayee explained, “I was definitely surprised by the amount of running. I would come out of every squash practice feeling sore. But throughout the season, I actually gained distance with my driver because of all the running I was doing.” More than that, Rayee discovered that her golf game also helped her squash game. Rayee explained, “A lot of people say that my squash swing looks like a golf swing. I’ve been told that my golf-like form actually helps my squash serve.”
Rayee also described that “being last on JV I didn’t really feel any pressure. I was just out there having fun.” Due to the strong team environment and her own, more relaxed expectations, Rayee explained that she was more than able to accept some failures on the squash court, because for Rayee, squash wasn’t all about being the best. She even described her favorite memory on the team as when the team was learning how to “boast”—hit the ball so it bounces off the side wall and hits the front wall, and she “whiffed three times in a row in front of everyone.” Rayee explained that, “We were all able to laugh about it, and it made for a really funny moment.”
When asked what advice she would give to a member of the Pingry community wanting to try a new sport or activity, Rayee responded, “Definitely do it! I stepped out of my comfort zone to try a new sport, and it was such a fun experience. If anyone even slightly wants to try something, they should. You can always change paths if you don’t enjoy it.”
Rayee’s approach to squash and her joyful experience really underscore how important it is for all of us to continue to try new things and be open to new experiences, even if we will not succeed at first. As Rayee described, the new experiences may help us in ways we never expected or introduce us to new friends. Additionally, Rayee’s perspective helped me realize how easy it can be to pigeonhole ourselves and others into being a certain kind of person based upon one talent or one activity. One of my favorite things about Pingry is that, as a community, we understand that each student contains multitudes, and we should all try to live that way every day.
Rayee’s goal for the rest of the year is to “finish strong.” In two weeks, she will be playing in the Mizuho Americas Open Junior Event against 23 other top-ranked junior girls. When you see Rayee in the hallway, shout her out!
***
To contact the author: Zoe Argentieri