Sam Stilwell, the 2011 AA golf state champion and  junior at Dominion, has been named The Torch’s male Titan Athlete of the Year for the 2011-2012 school year.
“Sam, and the other members of the DHS golf team, are excellent representatives of the Titan culture and our team goal is to make this our continuing priority along with winning,” said Jon Abbett, Stilwell’s coach of nearly four years.
Abbett and Stilwell have had a strong connection over the years. “Sam and I are friends. We occasionally play golf together, we sometimes practice together, and I will see him around the golf club to which we both belong,” Abbett said.
“Golf is a difficult sport and to perform well over time requires both physical skills to hit the ball and, equally important, mental skills [help] to keep a positive frame of mind and [to] choose the right shots to play at the right time during a round. I try to help them with the mental approach and thought process for playing their best competitive golf,” Abbett said.
A large factor of Stilwell’s athletic performance is his attitude. “Sam is very positive, believes in his ability to make the key shots when he needs to, and keeps a constructive attitude at all times. He is respectful of the key traditions of the game—courtesy and honesty—and behaves as a gentleman both on and off the golf course,” Abbett said.
According to Stilwell’s mother, Jill Stilwell, “Sam is very self-motivated and dedicated.”
 “I use my self-talk to keep me present,” Stilwell said. “[It is a] process of what I’m trying to do, [and I try] not to think about results.”
Like all sports, golf requires practice and dedication. Stilwell spends countless hours at the range to work on his games. He makes good use of both the golf courses of Trump National and Woody’s Golf Club, and likes to have his club fitted at the 1757 Golf Club in Ashburn.
Stilwell practices nearly every day: approximately two hours per day during the week. Hours vary on the weekend and during the hot summer days, but they range from four to eight hours each day.
            “You have to enjoy practice more than the competition if you want to excel. All the great athletes are admired for their work ethic: Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, Eli Manning,” Stilwell said.
Like all student athletes, Stilwell had to learn how to balance his sport with his school. “It’s been a struggle this year so my GPA’s kind of struggled a little bit,” Stilwell said. “It’s been a lot more difficult than I thought it would be, [but] I’m making a fourth quarter change.”
“He doesn’t have the luxury, by choice, of doing other after school sports at DHS as there is only so much daylight and he takes advantage of that time after school—even in winter months when possible—at the range or on the course. As with any other student athlete, finding the balance between practice and studies is challenging,” Jill Stilwell said.
            Stilwell’s support system stems from his family. “My stepdad gets a lot of work done during the week so he can come watch me over the weekend,” Stilwell said. He was first introduced to golf when he was twelve years old by his stepfather, as a way for them to bond.
“Family time is most certainly affected as Sam’s tournament schedule, by all of our choices, limits vacation time and time together as Sam has a sister who has her own schedule and activities that we support,” Jill Stilwell said.
“Sam participates in tournaments in a multitude of states, and either [I], his stepfather and/or his father travel with him.  Actually, it’s Sam’s stepdad who keeps the Excel spreadsheet of Sam’s tournaments, qualifiers, and lessons and does the most travel with Sam,” Jill Stilwell said.
Golf is a sport that has served as a commonality Sam shares with his mother, too. “However, more importantly, it’s given me a greater insight to who Sam is as a person.  His passion, dedication, perseverance and focus are attributes I admire greatly.  I thoroughly enjoy spending time with Sam.  Golf is not a short game, so when we watch him play, we get to spend the whole day with Sam.  Including the meals before and after where we get time to really chat,” Jill Stilwell said.
Also, Stilwell occasionally meets with a mental coach, who just so happens to be his father, Graham Stilwell. His father goes over things with him such as “how your attitude affects how you play” and “maintaining [your] body language and self-talk” said Stilwell.
“Once you reach a certain technical ability to hit a wide variety golf shots as you intend--and Sam has reached this level—most of the sport is mental. This means making the right strategic choices on the course in competition, controlling your emotions, and staying focused to best manage your way through a good round without major mistakes. In short, you need to be ‘cool’ and not get too emotional when you play competitive golf and Sam has worked to develop this type of demeanor in his game,” Abbett said.
“Sam, like some of our other DHS golfers, has a separate swing coach who helps him with his game, he practices year round, and plays in many tournaments throughout the U.S. This approach to the sport requires tremendous dedication from [an] athlete over an extended period and [calls for] extraordinary support and help from his family. Sam is fortunate to have both the dedication and support network,” Abbett said.
Nevertheless, Stilwell is not immune to the struggles that many athletes face. “[In] the middle of the high school season, I was in a slump but I kind of came over it in the end,” Stilwell said. Changes made to his swing, chipping, and putting helped Stilwell do so, and since he practices so often, these changes were quickly made; they were fast enough for States, which is where Stilwell earned his title of Virginia High School League (VHSL) State Champion.
Stilwell plans on continuing golf in the future. Next year, his focus includes achieving a golf scholarship to play in college. “That will be a good test for me to see if I can go pro,” Stilwell said.
            “[In the] near future, I would love to see Sam get an opportunity to play golf at the college level, at whatever school he feels is the best fit for him athletically and academically.  Beyond college, the sky is the limit, as Sam can do whatever he wants – not only is he a great golfer, but he’s smart and funny and savvy.  A stint on the pro tour?  If that’s his dream, I’ll support him 100 percent,” Jill Stilwell said.
            “It’s nice because I am getting some good recognition but I still see a lot of room where I could improve which is cool,” Stilwell said. Some upcoming tournaments Stilwell will be competing in on his own include the Scottie Roberts Tournament, the Southern Junior, Bubba Connally, the Virginia Amateur, and the United States Junior Qualifier.