This month we meet Xavier Partee, a 13-year-old in 8th grade with a passion for basketball, golf, swimming, photography and writing. He recently fielded some questions from Charlie Hanger, the digital content manager for our Foundation and Learning Center.
CH: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family.
XP: I’m 13 and in the 8th grade. I live in the Bronx with my mom and visit my dad six times a year in North Carolina. He lives in Whitsett, near Greensboro, where my grandparents live. I was born there and moved to New York when I was 2. I have two little brothers in North Carolina.
CH: Who are some of the most important people in your life, and why?
XP: My mom because she encourages me in golf, in school, in basketball, in swimming — anything and everything I do. My dad because he also encourages me, especially in basketball and golf. He started me off in golf on my trips to North Carolina, and I signed up for the First Tee at Mosholu in the Bronx when I was in New York. I still do First Tee on Sundays when the weather is nice.
CH: That’s a lot of sports. Tell me more about your basketball and swimming.
XP: I’m on a basketball team now with kids who are a little older than I am. When I was playing with my own age group, I was either a point guard, shooting guard, small forward or center. Now that I’m playing in an older league, I’m always point guard or shooting guard.
Like golf, I first got into swimming on my trips to North Carolina. At first I just started swimming for fun, and then my mom wanted me to really learn how. I started taking lessons, and now I’ll be Red Cross certified to be a lifeguard when I turn 16.
CH: What’s your favorite sport?
XP: Basketball is my favorite, but golf is a very close runner-up.
CH: Who are your role models?
XP: LeBron James because he was in a tough situation growing up, he wasn’t the most fortunate kid. His success shows all of us that we can do whatever we want if we work hard enough.
CH: What careers are you interested in?
XP: I’ve got five. First is an NBA player. If I don’t make it to the NBA, then I want to play on the PGA Tour. Then swimming. Then author. Then photographer.
CH: That’s quite a list. What got you interested in writing and photography?
XP: I like to write. Sometimes if I’m bored, I’ll get on my PC and write a mini story. I mostly write scary stories, usually right after I’ve read a book that gives me an idea. Sometimes I write about something that might have happened in my life, or something that could happen, or something related to a movie.
I’m interested in photography because taking pictures is just awesome and really fun. I have a pocket digital camera and I use my phone. At my dad’s house in North Carolina, he has framed pictures that I took all over New York City.
Xavier ran the putting contest at our fundraising outing at The Bridge in September.
CH: What is your favorite subject in school?
XP: Humanities. We study a lot of current news, like the thing about the NFL and Colin Kaepernick. We learned the real story about his kneeling, the story of the Army Special Forces veteran who convinced him to kneel instead of sitting during the anthem.
I also like science, especially labs. One time we used a light microscope to look at cells, and then we drew them. There was another project where we had to make a model of a cell. I made an animal cell and a plant cell out of Styrofoam and candy. In sixth grade, we swabbed the dirtiest places in school and then grew the bacteria we collected for a week.
CH: What’s one thing about you that no one else in the program knows?
XP: I think everyone already knows this, but I’m really soft. I have feelings.
CH: What’s your favorite thing about The Bridge Golf Foundation?
XP: The teachers. Everyone is fun and funny. They know how to put us in check, but they’re not too mean about it, and I learn a lot from them. They make things easier to understand because they elaborate on what they’re trying to teach us.
CH: Of all the trips you’ve made with The Foundation, what was your favorite?
XP: When we went to The Bridge in September. I got to play the course and it was beautiful. I also got to host the putting competition for the adults and hand out the prizes to the winners.