One final round at state tournament
Lead Summary
By
Caitlin Forsha-crforsha@gmail.com
While Hillsboro senior Kristin Jamieson’s path to the OHSAA Division I Girls Golf State Tournament took an unexpected turn this year, the outcome is still the same, as she prepares to compete for a third consecutive time at the highest level in high school golf.
Jamieson’s senior season has included joining the Hillsboro boys golf team, winning a conference title with the Indians and being named the Frontier Athletic Conference boys golf player of the year, then winning girls golf sectional and East/Southeast District titles.
Jamieson said that over the summer, she had a list of similar goals to seasons past: defending the Lady Indians’ Frontier Athletic Conference team title, being the FAC Player of the Year for girls golf and qualifying for the state tournament again. However, she had to reevaluate those goals when she learned that Hillsboro would not be fielding a girls golf team in 2018.
“I was kind of completely blindsided by everything,” Jamieson said. “In like 20 minutes, we came to the conclusion we weren’t going to have a girls team, and then Coach [Nathan] Boatman invited me to try out for the boys team. I had to think about it, but really all of the goals were still the same after I tried out and made the [boys] team.”
Jamieson added the goal of helping to improve the boys team – contributing to their conference title in 2018 – while “making great friendships along the way.” Much to her relief, she was accepted and welcomed as a member of the Indians golf team, adding that she was thankful to Boatman for helping foster that atmosphere.
“They welcomed me with open arms,” Jamieson said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better team. I loved the team that I was a part of. We all became extremely close, and we all made each other better. There wasn’t ever tension between us. I thank them so much for that. We got better and had fun at the same time, which is all you can ask for.”
Jamieson credited two area golfers – her teammate Will Kiefer and McClain’s Trevor Newkirk – for their support throughout the season.
“Will Kiefer was our team captain, and he was absolutely amazing,” Jamieson said. “He and I have been friends since I think kindergarten. He definitely made me better in a couple ways. I’m extremely happy with how he led the team.
“Every FAC match, I think Trevor Newkirk and I were paired together. He was such a fun person to play with and experience this season with because it was always him and I, and there were days when he was off or I was off and we were still really good friends regardless of who came out on top. He was a huge part in my successes this year because he pushed me to become a better player.”
Competing as a member of the boys team throughout the season was “completely different” from her previous three seasons in her high school career.
“On the girls side, the courses that we play are much shorter,” Jamieson said. “The courses play pretty much entirely different. The competition was much better with the boys. It made me step up my game, and it made the stakes higher. I knew that if I had a bad day that I could very well not win the match, so it made me perform more under pressure than what I was used to on the girls side.”
The Hillsboro senior said she eventually realized her goal of being FAC Player of the Year was not only possible, but could also give her another unique title in her high school career, as her father pointed out that she would be the first female golfer to win the boys golf player of the year award for the FAC.
“I knew I had to play my game and play well,” Jamieson said. “I couldn’t shoot over 39 or 40 very often at all. I just had to keep going one match a time. It was extremely satisfying to be named the individual player of the year with how much work and practice I put in.”
That work and practice included switching from her previous home courses of the Hillsboro Elks and Snow Hill Country Club to The Golf Club at Stonelick Hills in Batavia. While there, Jamieson has worked with their “amazing practice facilities,” including a range and short-game facility, which she said helped her to “expand my game a lot.”
Jamieson said she practiced at Stonelick Hills throughout the summer during the preseason, and Boatman also permitted her to practice one day a week at the facility throughout the high school season. She also worked this season on “the importance of being engaged in your practice.”
“It’s not necessarily the amount of time you put in, but the quality as well,” she said. “It takes a lot of both of those things to get better.”
Jamieson said that she knew she had a chance to succeed or even win at districts and was determined to improve from her 2017 score. As only the top individual and top team advance to state, she said there was “no room for error.”
“Last year, I left room for doubt,” she said. “We had to wait for a couple hours. There was going to be no room for doubt this year. I didn’t want to chance it or leave any questions on the table.”
Jamieson tried to enter the tournament without any expectations and focused on “one shot at a time” to improve on her 2017 second-place score of 75. She did so by 10 strokes, scoring a 65 at this year’s district event to win the tournament.
“You want to be able to know that you’re going to get out and you’re going to win, but golf is unpredictable,” she said. “I didn’t go into districts expecting to lose, but I went in knowing that I had to play well.
“I was devastated last year with that score, even though I was advancing, thankfully. I kind of had a bad taste in my mouth ever since then.”
Jamieson said that she focused on shooting birdies at the district tournament and was pleased with her play on the front nine, scoring a 29, but “disappointed with the back nine,” where she scored a 36.
“Even that was a learning experience,” Jamieson said. “I keep learning, and you don’t know the situation until you’ve been there, physically but also emotionally. Controlling your emotions under pressure is a really big part of golf, too, and it’s one of the more difficult parts.”
Controlling her emotions is one of Jamieson’s goals, which also include relaxing and “trusting the process,” for her final trip to the OHSAA Div. I State Girls Golf Tournament.
“Put in the work and trust the process; don’t worry about the end result,” Jamieson said. “That comes in when I say ‘take every shot at a time,’ and that’s really one of the most important things a golfer can do.”
Relaxing ties in with the emotional side of golfing, and Jamieson said she will depend on her coach and her family to keep her laughing throughout this weekend’s tournament.
“I’ve got to relax,” she said. “If I can keep laughing, I think I’ll be doing well at the end of the day. Coach Boatman is very good at making me laugh.”
Jamieson said that even though her family can’t talk to her while she’s competing, she can still depend on them to help her loosen up.
“My family has been there through thick and thin, and they’ve been there every year in the postseason,” Jamieson said. “If I just look at them, I’ll remember a story of them on the golf course watching me and those will make me laugh.
“I’ve just got to stay loose, relax and take one shot at a time and play my game, trust my game. I’ve prepared enough for it. I’ve hit thousands of putts and shot thousands of shots. I think my game is ready. I’ve just got to mentally trust it.”
As far as a goal for her score at the tournament, Jamieson she “obviously wants to win, which has been my goal since I got to state,” and she looks forward to improving on her previous scores. Last year at the state tournament, Jamieson tied for 26th place overall with a two-day score (36 holes) of 158, with a Day 1 score of 78 and Day 2 score of 77. During her sophomore year at state, Jamieson shot a score of 84 in what was a one-day tournament due to weather at The Ohio State University Gray Golf Course.
“I haven’t had my best outings sophomore and junior year, disappointingly,” Jamieson said. “But I’ve played the course. I know the course. I’ve just got to go play golf.”
Jamieson said she also looks forward to sharing the experience at state with her coach, as Boatman competed in the Div. II state tournament in 2002 and as a member of the state runner-up team in 2003, when Hillsboro also had a state champion golfer in Drew Balser.
“I’m really excited to be able to be returning to state with Coach Boatman because he has state experience himself,” Jamieson said.
Following last year’s state tournament, Jamieson had a conversation with Ohio State University head women’s golf coach Therese Hession, who offered her a spot on their team on the Saturday of the state tournament. Jamieson verbally committed to OSU the following day. She spoke about how preparing for next year at OSU affected her game this season.
“I still put a lot of pressure on myself because I work at [golf] in a small view and a big view,” Jamieson said. “Everything I do is preparing me to go and play well at Ohio State, but in the small view, it’s tournament to tournament. I’ve been preparing a lot for state, and in these tournaments I take every round seriously.
“It’s a different kind of pressure because I want to do my best and prepare myself the best way possible for Ohio State.”
Jamieson will tee off at 10:50 a.m. at Hole 1 at The Ohio State University Gray Course Friday, Oct. 19 and invites the community to attend either or both days of the tournament.
“If anyone wants to come out, we’re all completely welcoming,” Jamieson said. “My family will be there, and they’ll include everybody in the little group that we have. I’ve never been one to ask or force anybody to go – I know golf isn’t very entertaining to watch – but I’m definitely not opposed to the community or anybody who can to come. I’d love to see some familiar faces out there. I think it will be a fun time.”
In addition to thanking her family for their support, Jamieson also thanked her coaches, Boatman, Dan Spidel, Sharon Sims and Brad Sparling; her teammates and Newkirk; and the Hillsboro community, including the high school administration.
“Everybody’s been so supportive,” Jamieson said. “The team was so welcoming.
“The community’s been great. The school has been extremely supportive. The athletic director Dave Dietrick, Mr. [Joe] Turner [HHS principal], Mr. [Tim] Davis, the superintendent, and Coach Boatman have all played a part in allowing this to happen and allowing me to be on the boys team and play for them and represent the school. I’ve felt so much support from the Hillsboro community.”
As she wraps up her high school career, Jamieson said she will have more golf tournaments on the horizon, but for now she’s enjoying every moment of her senior season.
“This experience has been for sure one to remember,” Jamieson said. “I would tell the team, ‘This is definitely one we’re not going to forget.’ To be able to experience everything that I have this year with them and with the close friendships I’ve made on the team, it has been amazing. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I definitely won’t forget this one. It’s been such a fun season.
“I’m hoping to build on our accomplishments this weekend and my personal accomplishments throughout my high school career. I want to top it off and go out with a bang.”
Jamieson’s senior season has included joining the Hillsboro boys golf team, winning a conference title with the Indians and being named the Frontier Athletic Conference boys golf player of the year, then winning girls golf sectional and East/Southeast District titles.
Jamieson said that over the summer, she had a list of similar goals to seasons past: defending the Lady Indians’ Frontier Athletic Conference team title, being the FAC Player of the Year for girls golf and qualifying for the state tournament again. However, she had to reevaluate those goals when she learned that Hillsboro would not be fielding a girls golf team in 2018.
“I was kind of completely blindsided by everything,” Jamieson said. “In like 20 minutes, we came to the conclusion we weren’t going to have a girls team, and then Coach [Nathan] Boatman invited me to try out for the boys team. I had to think about it, but really all of the goals were still the same after I tried out and made the [boys] team.”
Jamieson added the goal of helping to improve the boys team – contributing to their conference title in 2018 – while “making great friendships along the way.” Much to her relief, she was accepted and welcomed as a member of the Indians golf team, adding that she was thankful to Boatman for helping foster that atmosphere.
“They welcomed me with open arms,” Jamieson said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better team. I loved the team that I was a part of. We all became extremely close, and we all made each other better. There wasn’t ever tension between us. I thank them so much for that. We got better and had fun at the same time, which is all you can ask for.”
Jamieson credited two area golfers – her teammate Will Kiefer and McClain’s Trevor Newkirk – for their support throughout the season.
“Will Kiefer was our team captain, and he was absolutely amazing,” Jamieson said. “He and I have been friends since I think kindergarten. He definitely made me better in a couple ways. I’m extremely happy with how he led the team.
“Every FAC match, I think Trevor Newkirk and I were paired together. He was such a fun person to play with and experience this season with because it was always him and I, and there were days when he was off or I was off and we were still really good friends regardless of who came out on top. He was a huge part in my successes this year because he pushed me to become a better player.”
Competing as a member of the boys team throughout the season was “completely different” from her previous three seasons in her high school career.
“On the girls side, the courses that we play are much shorter,” Jamieson said. “The courses play pretty much entirely different. The competition was much better with the boys. It made me step up my game, and it made the stakes higher. I knew that if I had a bad day that I could very well not win the match, so it made me perform more under pressure than what I was used to on the girls side.”
The Hillsboro senior said she eventually realized her goal of being FAC Player of the Year was not only possible, but could also give her another unique title in her high school career, as her father pointed out that she would be the first female golfer to win the boys golf player of the year award for the FAC.
“I knew I had to play my game and play well,” Jamieson said. “I couldn’t shoot over 39 or 40 very often at all. I just had to keep going one match a time. It was extremely satisfying to be named the individual player of the year with how much work and practice I put in.”
That work and practice included switching from her previous home courses of the Hillsboro Elks and Snow Hill Country Club to The Golf Club at Stonelick Hills in Batavia. While there, Jamieson has worked with their “amazing practice facilities,” including a range and short-game facility, which she said helped her to “expand my game a lot.”
Jamieson said she practiced at Stonelick Hills throughout the summer during the preseason, and Boatman also permitted her to practice one day a week at the facility throughout the high school season. She also worked this season on “the importance of being engaged in your practice.”
“It’s not necessarily the amount of time you put in, but the quality as well,” she said. “It takes a lot of both of those things to get better.”
Jamieson said that she knew she had a chance to succeed or even win at districts and was determined to improve from her 2017 score. As only the top individual and top team advance to state, she said there was “no room for error.”
“Last year, I left room for doubt,” she said. “We had to wait for a couple hours. There was going to be no room for doubt this year. I didn’t want to chance it or leave any questions on the table.”
Jamieson tried to enter the tournament without any expectations and focused on “one shot at a time” to improve on her 2017 second-place score of 75. She did so by 10 strokes, scoring a 65 at this year’s district event to win the tournament.
“You want to be able to know that you’re going to get out and you’re going to win, but golf is unpredictable,” she said. “I didn’t go into districts expecting to lose, but I went in knowing that I had to play well.
“I was devastated last year with that score, even though I was advancing, thankfully. I kind of had a bad taste in my mouth ever since then.”
Jamieson said that she focused on shooting birdies at the district tournament and was pleased with her play on the front nine, scoring a 29, but “disappointed with the back nine,” where she scored a 36.
“Even that was a learning experience,” Jamieson said. “I keep learning, and you don’t know the situation until you’ve been there, physically but also emotionally. Controlling your emotions under pressure is a really big part of golf, too, and it’s one of the more difficult parts.”
Controlling her emotions is one of Jamieson’s goals, which also include relaxing and “trusting the process,” for her final trip to the OHSAA Div. I State Girls Golf Tournament.
“Put in the work and trust the process; don’t worry about the end result,” Jamieson said. “That comes in when I say ‘take every shot at a time,’ and that’s really one of the most important things a golfer can do.”
Relaxing ties in with the emotional side of golfing, and Jamieson said she will depend on her coach and her family to keep her laughing throughout this weekend’s tournament.
“I’ve got to relax,” she said. “If I can keep laughing, I think I’ll be doing well at the end of the day. Coach Boatman is very good at making me laugh.”
Jamieson said that even though her family can’t talk to her while she’s competing, she can still depend on them to help her loosen up.
“My family has been there through thick and thin, and they’ve been there every year in the postseason,” Jamieson said. “If I just look at them, I’ll remember a story of them on the golf course watching me and those will make me laugh.
“I’ve just got to stay loose, relax and take one shot at a time and play my game, trust my game. I’ve prepared enough for it. I’ve hit thousands of putts and shot thousands of shots. I think my game is ready. I’ve just got to mentally trust it.”
As far as a goal for her score at the tournament, Jamieson she “obviously wants to win, which has been my goal since I got to state,” and she looks forward to improving on her previous scores. Last year at the state tournament, Jamieson tied for 26th place overall with a two-day score (36 holes) of 158, with a Day 1 score of 78 and Day 2 score of 77. During her sophomore year at state, Jamieson shot a score of 84 in what was a one-day tournament due to weather at The Ohio State University Gray Golf Course.
“I haven’t had my best outings sophomore and junior year, disappointingly,” Jamieson said. “But I’ve played the course. I know the course. I’ve just got to go play golf.”
Jamieson said she also looks forward to sharing the experience at state with her coach, as Boatman competed in the Div. II state tournament in 2002 and as a member of the state runner-up team in 2003, when Hillsboro also had a state champion golfer in Drew Balser.
“I’m really excited to be able to be returning to state with Coach Boatman because he has state experience himself,” Jamieson said.
Following last year’s state tournament, Jamieson had a conversation with Ohio State University head women’s golf coach Therese Hession, who offered her a spot on their team on the Saturday of the state tournament. Jamieson verbally committed to OSU the following day. She spoke about how preparing for next year at OSU affected her game this season.
“I still put a lot of pressure on myself because I work at [golf] in a small view and a big view,” Jamieson said. “Everything I do is preparing me to go and play well at Ohio State, but in the small view, it’s tournament to tournament. I’ve been preparing a lot for state, and in these tournaments I take every round seriously.
“It’s a different kind of pressure because I want to do my best and prepare myself the best way possible for Ohio State.”
Jamieson will tee off at 10:50 a.m. at Hole 1 at The Ohio State University Gray Course Friday, Oct. 19 and invites the community to attend either or both days of the tournament.
“If anyone wants to come out, we’re all completely welcoming,” Jamieson said. “My family will be there, and they’ll include everybody in the little group that we have. I’ve never been one to ask or force anybody to go – I know golf isn’t very entertaining to watch – but I’m definitely not opposed to the community or anybody who can to come. I’d love to see some familiar faces out there. I think it will be a fun time.”
In addition to thanking her family for their support, Jamieson also thanked her coaches, Boatman, Dan Spidel, Sharon Sims and Brad Sparling; her teammates and Newkirk; and the Hillsboro community, including the high school administration.
“Everybody’s been so supportive,” Jamieson said. “The team was so welcoming.
“The community’s been great. The school has been extremely supportive. The athletic director Dave Dietrick, Mr. [Joe] Turner [HHS principal], Mr. [Tim] Davis, the superintendent, and Coach Boatman have all played a part in allowing this to happen and allowing me to be on the boys team and play for them and represent the school. I’ve felt so much support from the Hillsboro community.”
As she wraps up her high school career, Jamieson said she will have more golf tournaments on the horizon, but for now she’s enjoying every moment of her senior season.
“This experience has been for sure one to remember,” Jamieson said. “I would tell the team, ‘This is definitely one we’re not going to forget.’ To be able to experience everything that I have this year with them and with the close friendships I’ve made on the team, it has been amazing. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I definitely won’t forget this one. It’s been such a fun season.
“I’m hoping to build on our accomplishments this weekend and my personal accomplishments throughout my high school career. I want to top it off and go out with a bang.”