Ever since she first picked up a set of golf club at age 4, Gardnerville's KoKo Terada has been on a fast track toward success in the sport.
Now 11, Terada is preparing for her sixth trip to the Callaway Junior Golf World Championships in San Diego.
That's a trip for every season since she started playing competitively.
The tournament annually draws 1,000 athletes from 40 countries and 43 states between the ages of 5 and 17. Athletes must qualify for the tournament by winning a sectional qualifying event.
Terada qualified this year by winning the qualifier for the Northern Nevada Junior Golf Association at the Old Brockway Golf Course in Kings Beach by shooting a 51.
"It feels pretty special to be there," Terada said. "You get nervous, because you are competing against girls who are better than you from all over the world. But it is a lot of fun."
Terada's father, Les, was a golf course superintendent in the San Diego area when she first started playing. Before moving to Northern Nevada, KoKo was a two-time representative for the San Diego Junior Golf Association at the junior worlds.
"Qualifying up here, it's just one tournament, but in San Diego you had to play a series and gather points," KoKo Terada said. "It was harder there."
"We've got a lot of friends in the San Diego area still," Les Terada said. "So we give them a call every year and tell them we're on our way down again. It's a reality check to see the level of talent down there, but has become quite a fun thing for us."
The Teradas will head down for the tournament Saturday and the competition will run from July 15 to 18.
One of the highlights every year is the opening ceremony, during which each participant gets to march under the flag of the state or country they are representing.
"I feel pretty proud for that part," KoKo Terada said.
She spends up to four days a week practicing, mostly at Eagle Valley or Empire Ranch, and manages to fit gymnastics, recreation league volleyball and the Meneley band (she plays the flute) into her busy schedule.
"Golf is just a fun sport," she said. "It takes a lot of patience and when you make a tough shot, it feels really good. My favorite is golf. I want to play into college and I feel like this is the sport that I can go the farthest with."
In an effort to continually challenge herself, Terada has been playing in age groups ranging two to three years above her.
"It's helped me become a better golfer," she said. "My short game is probably my best " my putting and chipping. We work on that at the Carson Valley Golf Course."
