Hitting the Links with Sam!

Sam Norris, a rising star in college golf, shares his journey and experiences as a student-athlete at Anderson University. He started at Spartanburg Methodist College and was recruited to Anderson after a successful year. Sam emphasizes the importance of balancing academics and training, relying on support from those around him. Despite golf being an individual sport, teamwork and camaraderie are crucial for mental support. Sam encourages aspiring athletes to go for their dreams and stay active in the recruiting process. His first year at AU was a significant experience that helped him grow both as an athlete and a person. To stay updated on Sam's achievements, visit AUTrojans.com and GolfStat. Welcome everyone to Behind the Athlete, the podcast where we unravel the stories that fuel a passion, perseverance, and sheer determination of athletes. I'm your host, Silas Brindle, and today we have an exceptional guest with us. He's not just any college golfer, he's a rising star. A Division II athlete whose golf prowess knows no bounds. Joining us today is Sam Norris, a talented golfer from Anderson University. What makes Sam stand out, you say? Well, he's not just good, he's extraordinary. With a jaw-dropping lowest score of 63 on 18 holes, Sam is redefining excellence in college golf. Today we're diving deep into his journey, exploring the challenges he's faced and the victories that have shaped him. So get ready to peek behind the scenes and uncover the incredible story of Sam Norris, right here on Behind the Athlete. Let's tee off into his world. Sam, welcome to the show. Hey, thank you for having me, Rick. So, uh, can you just kind of introduce yourself and, uh, tell us a bit about your background in golf and your journey to Anderson? Yeah, so I'm Sam. I'm a junior here at Anderson. I didn't start my college journey at Anderson. I started at Spartanburg Methodist College, which is a juco in the upstate of South Carolina. So I got recruited to Anderson out of there after having a pretty decent year at SMC. Yeah, so what would you say motivated you to pursue golf at the collegiate level? Yeah, in high school I never was really that great, but towards the end of my senior season I started to make some strides in my game and I had a conversation with my dad and we just kind of talked about how much I love golf and I wanted to keep at it and keep going for it. So that's when I decided to play. Yeah, well, Anderson's glad to have you. How would you say your experience has been as a student-athlete here? It's been phenomenal. AU really values their athletes as a university, but I also just feel like I'm just a student like anybody else. I would say my experience has been perfect so far. So with the schooling, how would you say you manage balancing academic responsibilities while also training your golf and competitions? Yeah, it definitely can be hard at times. For me, procrastination just cannot be a thing. I just try to get ahead of things so that whenever I have a tournament or some qualifying that I don't have to worry about the assignments if I just go ahead and get them done. What would you say are some of the biggest challenges you faced as a college golf athlete and how'd you overcome them? Yeah, definitely the experiences, some challenges in the classroom and on the course. I'd say I've just overcome them by relying on people close to me. I can't really go into any battle alone and so definitely the people around me have been really supportive and I've been able to lean on them. Yeah, so with your team, how important is teamwork in college golf and how does your team support each other through the season? Yeah, golf is kind of weird because it's an individual sport. So we're not passing the ball or having any plays with each other, but really it's just it's all mental and I think we support each other especially like in the van on the way to a tournament or coming back just to camaraderie and knowing that there's four other guys in the van that love you a lot and are rooting for you. So I think just overall just being friends helps us the most. That's great to hear man. What advice would you give to younger individuals who aspire to pursue college golf or just sports in general? Yeah, I would tell those kids to think big and pray big and just go for it. I would encourage them to go ahead and start emailing coaches and being active in their green process. It can be a lot but just know that any decision you make, you can change it and just go for it. Alright, so getting to the end here, just a few more questions. I would love to know, is there any particular experience at Anderson University that has a had a significant impact on your growth as an athlete and just a human overall? Yeah, I would say that last year, my first year at AU was one of the best years of my life. We were on the golf course, we were playing well, we were number one in the America and also just the guys on the team are really solid and really helped me grow my faith in the Lord and gave me lots of confidence in myself as a man. So I was just, that whole year was extraordinary experience. I love to hear that man. Lastly, where can the listeners follow your journey and stay updated with your golfing achievements? Yeah, so you can follow us AUTrojans.com. They give recaps of tournaments. Also on golf stat, there's rankings and stats. So yeah, you can on those two platforms. Well guys, make sure you follow, keep up to date with Sam Norris and his golfing prowess journey. Just want to thank you for coming on the show today, Behind the Athlete. We'll stay tuned for the rest of the season, man. Thanks for coming out. Thanks for having me.