First Colonial freshman golfer Ben Kablach looks to win under his dad’s head coaching
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — When most kids are learning to walk, Ben Kablach was learning to golf. “There is a YouTube video of me golfing at 12 months,” he laughed. Roughly 13 years later, Ben has collected numerous trophies playing competitive golf and added multiple sports to his resume. Guided by father and First Colonial golf coach John Kablach, Ben juggles golf, baseball, a pristine academic record and playing in a heavy metal rock band.
From second through eighth grade, Ben attended Old Donation School/Brickell Academy. Currently, he is a freshman in the legal studies program at First Colonial. He has high hopes for an athletic scholarship and even a career in sports.
He said, “My goal would be to play golf or baseball in college, but of course it would be a dream come true to play either sport professionally.” Indeed, he is on the right track to attaining his goals and is a well-rounded prospect. “I am a nerd and a straight A student, but also an athlete,” he quipped.
Beyond team sports, Ben enjoys fishing and playing bass guitar. “I play bass guitar for my metal rock band that a couple of friends and I started in sixth grade,” he said. “I also play double bass for the high school concert band.” Some of his favorite bands include Black Sabbath, Primus and Metallica.
Ben enjoys the environment and solitary experience of golf, but also thrives in the team setting. “With golf, I get to enjoy a lot of nature outdoors at different tournaments, and there is a lot of nice scenery,” he explained. “At baseball, I get to play with my friends, and now that I play golf on the high school team, instead of competing against my friends as an individual, I also get to play on a team with them.”
Being part of a team has helped Ben learn to strategize for his own performance and the team’s, and he is learning the dance of personality dynamics that we all have to navigate in life. “I’ve learned how to deal with internal adversaries, such as people on your team with a bad attitude,” said Ben. “I also now understand that sometimes you need to sacrifice for the betterment of the team.”
Ben takes his performance in golf and baseball seriously and works hard to prepare. Before a golf tournament he and his father review the shots he will need for the round. Similarly, they often visit the batting cages to finesse his swing before a game. He has also diligently developed positive coping skills around his performance. “I used to get angry if I hit a bad shot in a golf tournament, and then because of my anger I would hit more bad shots. Now I tell myself that any one bad shot doesn’t matter. I’ll have more opportunities to show how well I can do,” said Ben.
He has received lots of advice through the years, such as “You can’t play angry,” or “Take it one hole at a time.” Ben said, “But the best one that is also sometimes the most difficult to follow is from my dad, who always reminds me to just, ‘Play Good!’”
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