You know a sport that does not get enough recognition in Seymour? Golf is that sport. If you’ve ever heard about high school golf or watched a high school golf match, I would bet you’ve heard of superstar senior Lainey Jackson.

Lainey took a different mindset going into her first last day. She said, “I don’t think it was as emotional for me as it was for other people. I am excited for the next chapter of my life, but it is sad to know that I won’t be around the same people and teachers everyday like I have been for the last four years.” Her plans after high school include “going to Indiana University East to study Biochemistry and play golf,” but also has the goal of dabbling into the medical field eventually. She was dead set on IU East because “[she] really enjoyed the campus and all of the resources they had. It seemed as if they wanted to make it hard for anyone to fail academically. IU East offers so many resources for everyone to succeed and that is important when you are a student athlete. The coach and the players that [she] met were really nice and supportive.” It wasn’t just sports Lainey did here at SHS. She played golf and basketball, was part of NHS, Dance Marathon Committee, Pep Club, and FCS. 

Coach Jason Longmeier, head girls basketball coach, had the girls work this offseason, and it showed with their 14-10 record to end the season. Lainey said that coach Longmeier had “The whole team put in a tremendous amount of work prior to and during basketball season. This summer we did weights and conditioning, practice time on the court, kid’s basketball camp, D-1 camp and other activities.”

Being in a conference like the Hoosier Hills, challenges are bound to appear. Lainey said that being in the HHC “is one of the team’s biggest motivations. We compete our hardest to fight to the top of our conference especially when other teams believe we can’t.” Lainey is more of a person-first kind of player and student. She said “I always look forward to playing the game against Brownstown. The game is not only our rival game but it also supports cancer awareness and raises funds for Warrior Bags.” 

Lainey’s role is “a post position, and when I am in my main role is to get the ball moving and set good screens. My main role on the team as a senior is to keep attitudes positive, cheer on my teammates, and push everyone to give their all at practice.” Longmeier, being a coach for 11 years straight, has a big effect on the players. Lainey said that “I think it builds our program for the better because we all had time to build strong relationships. Having the same coach for a long period of time makes it easier to build trust with them.” Her three big goals before having the season wrap up were “having a winning season, going into sectional week on a win, and [winning sectional title].“

AAU basketball is also a sort of a big part of her basketball career. Lainey said that “my dad inspired me to get involved in basketball. He coached some of my teams when I was little and he also got me involved in AAU basketball.“

The same person that got her into basketball also got her into golf: “I started playing golf at 11 or 12 years old. My dad got me to start playing because he and my older brother both played.” It wasn’t until a couple years later she realized golf was going to be part of her future: “I realized I wanted to go to the next level after my freshman year. One of my teammates went to college to play golf and that kind of sparked my interest to want to play at the next level. After placing well in multiple tournaments in the summer and in school golf, I realized that I had a good chance to play at the next level if I kept working hard.”

Lainey, being the main person for golf, hasn’t really affected her since sophomore year. She said, “I have been playing the number one spot since my sophomore year and the pressure has definitely gotten easier to deal with. The only pressure I felt as a captain was to lead my team to win matches, but I realized after that year that I just needed to lead them to get better everyday. Having the supportive teammates that I had made it easy to play the number one spot against a competitive schedule.”

Her best are 36 on a nine hole, 76 on an 18 hole, and averages are 41 on nine and 82 on 18. Her favorite course happens to be a conference opponent: “I like Otis Park which is in Bedford. Most people don’t like the course because it is really hilly and rough to walk 18 holes, but I always seem to play well there so that’s why it is my favorite.”

She even gave very helpful advice to her underclassmen: “Never give up! No matter how hard it is at some points, never stop trying to get better. The more you practice the better you will get. My best advice would be to just have fun. You only get to play high school sports for four years so have fun with your teammates and do your best.”

Her coach(es) had some wonderful things to say about her. Longmeier said that she “is a great teammate. She always works hard, and she has a great understanding of the game.” His one word to describe her was “tough.”

Name: Lainey Jackson 

Hometown: Seymour, Indiana

Parents: Scott and Amanda Jackson

GPA: Weighted- 4.834

Plans after high school: Attend Indiana University East to study Biochemistry and play golf

Clubs/activities: Golf, Basketball, National Honor Society, Riley Dance Marathon Committee, Pep Club, and FCS

Favorite food: Twice Baked Potatoes

Favorite college team: Indiana Hoosiers 

Favorite cartoon growing up: Tom and Jerry 

Nickname: Lain-dog

Favorite Book: Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover or Cold Shot by Dani Pettrey

Favorite Quote: “Create the life you can’t wait to wake up to.”

What was it like attending Seymour High School: It was fun to meet new people, coaches, and teachers that supported me throughout my four years of high school.