John Aubrey plays in the PGA U.S. Senior Open in 2005.

Athletics has affected my life in a number of ways.

It has made for me a lifelong career. I have achieved a number of goals that I set when I was younger. As I became more experienced, my goals became larger and harder.

The more I set out to do, the thirstier I got as I started to compete on a professional and more advanced level. The more confident I became as an athlete, the more exciting it became.

Knowing your own capabilities helps you know what you can achieve at each level. Being positive is 100 percent of the battle. It gave me confidence knowing that whatever I put into this sport is exactly what I would get out of it.

Working hard has proven to me that anything can be achievable with determination and hard work.

Having athletics as a part of my life has also made me feel I have something to contribute to my community as a role model for children. All dreams in the field of sports are possible with good attitudes and perseverance.

How has sports benefited you as a young person and later as an adult?

I started golfing when I was in high school. Going to practices showed me where I wanted to be as teenager. I knew I loved the game.

Going to matches made me feel even better as I became a great competitor and won tournaments and set records for the high school. With this confidence, I knew I wanted to continue with a career in golf.

As an adult, I continued as an amateur winning numerous tournaments. I moved on to a professional golf career.

This is where I pursued my lifelong journey as a member of the Professional Golf Association. Here I was finally able to achieve the ultimate matches in my life. I have played in five PGA championships including two PGA U.S. Senior Opens.As an adult I have worked to help others with the skills that I have worked hard to attain. I give lessons to young and old people who are at all levels of the game.What advice would I give to children, parents, and adults about participating in any kind of sporting activity and its positive or negative affects?Do not push your child into any sport. What I have found out by raising three children is that each one has a mind and interest of their own.I not only introduced them to golf, but I let them experience a little of every sport that I could. They chose on their own what they liked.My girls, of course, wanted to be dancers and cheerleaders like all their friends. They wanted to do what they liked.They each developed different interests at different levels and at different times in their lives. I never pushed them one way or another. I discussed with them the advantages and disadvantages of each sport.It seemed the more you pushed one way, the more they would go the other. I knew each one had to find out for themselves what they would like and what they would be good at.My son always liked golf and still does as he competes today on a college scholarship.

But my youngest daughter never liked golf no matter how hard I tried. Sometimes I got her the best clubs and signed her up for the best tournaments but nothing helped. Years went by and she never picked up a club.Then, to my surprise, she called one day when she was in college and said she had made the college golf team.I believe that every child should be given the opportunity to play sports and pushing them into it can lead them away. Encouragement is my best advice for parents in whatever sport your child chooses. Sports can be fun and become a lifelong career. It can give you self-esteem and self-respect.Just that little bit of encouragement can give them the hunger that they need to conquer that sport or dream. I am perfectly content to say that at the age of 55 I am happy that I have chosen to pursue my career in the field of golf. Golf has rewarded me many times throughout my life and has given back to me what I have put into it.

John Aubrey