Columbus East’s Carter Gant is The Republic Girls Golfer of the Year. She is pictured at Otter Creek Golf Course in Columbus, Ind., Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023.
Mike Wolanin | The Republic
Carter Gant thought several times she wasn’t going to pick up a golf club and play for Columbus East again.
That’s because Gant suffered through mental health issues for several years. She finally convinced herself to give golf one last shot since it was her senior year. She’s glad she made the decision.
Gant averaged 39.8 per nine holes played this season and is The Republic Girls Golfer of the Year.
“I’m proud of myself for overcoming a bunch of mental battles. Golf is a hard mental game, so overcoming those is a big challenge,” Gant said. “I feel like as an individual, I overcame them, and I performed the best I could this season.”
Gant hid her mental health from the public for most of her youth until finally deciding over the summer to come out and tell her story to the public.
She wrote an essay letter to the Youth Leadership of Bartholomew County titled, “Why Me?” The essay details her journey through her struggles with mental health and how she overcame several obstacles to be in a better mental state of health.
Gant said since telling the public about her mental health struggles, it’s made her a stronger person.
“As I started telling more people, they had no idea. I didn’t want anyone to know at the time because I was ashamed of it because I felt I was so alone,” Gant said. “As I continue to talk about it and share my story, people are telling me they struggle with it, too. I feel like people should not be ashamed of it because it’s real, it’s there.”
Mental health not only affects athletes but also affects everyday people. Studies have suggested that 1 of 5 adults will go through some sort of mental health condition during their lifespan. Studies also suggest that approximately 35% of elite athletes suffer from a mental health crisis that may lead to stress, eating disorders, burnout or anxiety and depression.
One of the most notable athletes that suffered from mental health issues is United States Olympic gold medal gymnast Simone Biles. Biles made her mental health issues public when she surprisingly withdrew from competition during the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
“I felt so alone because nobody ever talked about it, especially in sports,” Gant said. “I definitely want to bring light to it because there might be some other people that have talked about this, and I know a lot of athletes out there struggle with it. I wanted to bring light to it and tell them that it’s going to be OK, and what they are feeling is normal.”
Gant said she started noticing problems as young as 7 years old when she started having random panic attacks. She thought nothing of it at the time, but it was eventually taking a toll on her. She went several nights without getting any sleep.
When Gant got into high school sports, it took an even bigger toll on her mental health. It caused her anxiety to worsen over the fear of underperforming and disappointing her teammates and coaches. She recalls when she used to play basketball her freshman and sophomore years that her nerves and body were constantly shaking, not for a game, but for practice.
Gant suffered a concussion her sophomore basketball season that led her to a deep depression. She mentioned in those two weeks that she was in bed from her concussion, it felt like five minutes for her. The only time she got out of bed was for food and a shower.
“I couldn’t do anything but lay in bed, and doctors appointments for everything, that made it so much worse because I was alone with my thoughts all day in my bed,” Gant recalls. “I couldn’t look at my phone or look out my (window) blind. I couldn’t do anything.”
Gant gave up basketball following her sophomore year. After her junior season of golf, she didn’t pick up a club for several months and was pondering whether to play next year. Knowing her passion and love for golf, she decided to give it one last ride.
“I knew part of me was missing, and I knew it was golf. I picked it up a little bit, but I have to make sure that I continue to have fun with it,” Gant said. “I have to have a good balance and continue to have fun with it because in the end, golf is fun. It will be fun because of the competitiveness with the girls and my team.”
Whether she stepped foot on the course this year or not, Gant received support from her coach LaDonna VanDeventer. When Gant shared her battle with VanDeventer, Gant said that LaDonna and assistant Keith VanDeventer have opened their arms to her and have been mentors to her.
“We tried to help her with her confidence because we knew she was lacking confidence,” LaDonna VanDeventer said. “(Keith) also helped pull her through that. He’d walk with her to keep her calm, talk through each shot and not get caught up in the last shot and keep her focused.”
Gant said she’s been taking anxiety and anti-depressant medication since seventh grade. She said she takes both medications to this day, but hopes to never be on the anxiety medication in the future. She mentioned it would be a “huge step” if she didn’t rely on her medications.
“I don’t think I’ll ever not have anxiety,” Gant said. “I don’t know if you can ever overcome anxiety all the way. Some days are really good and so much better, and other days, it’s like a weight of anxiety and depression and it feels like hitting rock bottom again, but then the next day, you have to keep going.”
While she’s a bit surprised she’s had a successful year, Gant plans to continue golf at Huntington University.
At the end of the day, Gant hopes her story can make an impact on another athlete or person that is going through the same mental health battles as her.
“It’s not talked about a lot, so I hope to change that stigma and bring light to it,” Gant said. “Keep the ones that lift you up close because who you hang out with has a direct impact on who you are as a person and how you are mentally. I’ve been there before, and I will help you until you’re where you want to be.”
The Republic All-Area Girls Golf team:
Carter Gant, Columbus East: The senior averaged 39.8 per nine holes and finished fourth in the HHC Tournament.
Grace LaSell, Columbus East: The junior averaged 47.5 per nine holes played.
Erin Hopkins, Columbus North: The junior averaged 39.5 per nine holes and finished second in the Bloomington North Sectional.
Lindsey Hartwell, Columbus North: The junior averaged 43.5 per nine holes and tied for 10th in Conference Indiana Tournament.
Lilly VanNess, Brown County: The junior averaged 41.9 per nine holes, was WIC medalist and tied for third in the Bloomington North Sectional.
Lauren Galvan, Jennings County: The junior averaged 46.0 per nine holes played.
Izzy Richardson, Edinburgh: The senior averaged 46.4 per nine holes played and was MHC medalist.
Honorable mention
Brown County: Chloe Poling, Savannah Poling. Columbus East: Dyana Foster, Ali Trueblood. Columbus North: Kara Buntin. Edinburgh: Macie Blandford. Jennings County: Shelby Davis.
