ELLEN SECOR SHOWS T1D WHO’S BOSS ON THE COURSE
Ellen Secor is showing Type 1 Diabetes who’s boss, on and off the course! Ellen plays golf for the Oklahoma Sooners, previously playing for Colorado State. Most recently, Ellen tied for 2nd place at the Westbrook Invitational, coming in with 17 birdies. Ellen also lives with Type 1 Diabetes. Diagnosed at the age of 3, Ellen didn’t wait long before falling in love with the game of golf at age 5. Ellen played golf throughout her youth before setting out to play at the college level. We sat down with Ellen to chat about what inspires her, how she handles T1D while playing at the next level, and her goals for the future.
What has been your favorite part about playing college golf? Easily the best part about college golf is having a team to play with. For the most part, golf is such an individual sport, but with a college team you get to really share the experience with others, build each other up, have fun and win together.
What inspired you to start playing golf/work to play at the next level? I watched other players continue to play after high school and I knew that regardless of my diabetes I could do that too. It also inspired me to keep playing and use my golf experience as a platform to show others that diabetes was not going to get in my way.
Tell us a little bit about any challenges or extra precautions you need to take to make sure your blood sugar stays in control on the course? Definitely the biggest challenge is managing my blood sugar with all of the adrenaline that comes with playing at this level. It’s hard to know when the adrenaline will make you low or sky high, so I’m always having to keep an eye on my blood sugar and make adjustments. Golf is a time consuming sport; 18 holes takes 5 hours, and many tournaments play 36 holes in one day, so blood sugars can be all over the place if I don’t keep it in check.
I’m also so focused during my rounds that I sometimes don’t feel it when my blood sugar goes low. Another thing about playing golf is that it’s not forgiving like other sports. There are no subs if I’m struggling with low blood sugar, like there are in other sports. The other challenge is making sure I stick to a low carb diet when I’m in season, so that I get on the course with my blood sugar in range and hopefully keep it that way throughout the round. That can be tricky when every snack seems to be high carb, which puts me on a blood sugar roller coaster. Sticking to low carb snacks helps tremendously.
What has been your favorite part about playing college golf? Easily the best part about college golf is having a team to play with. For the most part, golf is such an individual sport, but with a college team you get to really share the experience with others, build each other up, have fun and win together. How have your coaches, family, and teammates supported you in playing at this level with T1D, and playing at this level in general? My coach has bent over backwards to make sure I have the right food, drinks and low blood sugar tools to keep me stable on the golf course. Not many coaches are willing to buy extra items for one teammate, so I am very thankful she is so understanding. As for my teammates, they are always keeping an eye out for me when I look “off” and need help, which is a huge benefit of being on a team! As for my family, thankfully my parents are able to watch me play and keep an eye on my blood sugars during my rounds. They’ve kept me from going low more times than I can count, thankfully!
If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring athlete with T1D, what would it be? This disease can definitely be frustrating at times as an athlete, but it also teaches you discipline, responsibility and how to keep your body healthy! I would love to let [other athletes with T1D] know that it is worth it to just go for it. I’m glad that I’ve had the support to reach my goals in college and set new ones, as I get ready to turn Pro this summer. I’ve never let diabetes get in the way, and I’m not going to stop now.