Catching up with Kayla Stueland
On a lovely Monday at Willow Crest Golf Club in Oak Brook, St. Francis senior Kayla Stueland shot a 77 to tie for fourth place at the Class AA Nazareth Academy sectional. That sends her to Hickory Point Golf Course in Forsyth, near Decatur, where for a third straight year she'll compete in the girls state golf finals this weekend. The three-time Spartans MVP has finished seventh and 15th in her last two downstate visits. A former resident of Carmel, Ind., Stueland is an honor roll student and a three-time winner of St. Francis' student of the month award. A future college golfer who likely will obtain a scholarship based on her combination of athletics and academics, Stueland recently was nominated to St. Francis' homecoming court.
Q: Did you get along with the St. Francis student you were partnered with on the homecoming court, Jason Kurtyka?
A: I had never really talked to him before, so it was pretty cool to meet him.
Q: A good dancer?
A: Yeah, he was. He was a good partner.
Q: What's the most difficult thing about golf?
A: I think the mental stress it causes, that's probably the toughest part because it's really difficult. It's such a hard sport that it takes so much mental focus to keep practicing and trying to get better even when you're doing badly. You just have to keep working harder and harder to see results.
Q: Did you have success at the sport quickly, or has it taken awhile?
A: I definitely have gotten better and better every year. I was definitely not the greatest golfer at the beginning. I just worked at it a lot and each year I've gotten better, so hopefully I'm going to keep that up.
Q: Have you ever made a hole-in-one?
A: No. I've made it so close a couple times.
Q: What's the favorite course that you've played?
A: I played a course up in Pennsylvania that's the hardest course I've ever played in my life. It was called Nemacolin, they had the PGA Tour there a few years ago. It was so nice, but it was impossible.
Q: What did you shoot?
A: I don't even want to talk about it.
Q: Who's your favorite non-golfing athlete?
A: Probably someone from the White Sox but I'm not really sure, I kind of like them all. Probably Carlos Quentin.
Q: And what's your favorite breakfast cereal?
A: I'm going to have to go with Frosted Flakes.
Q: What kind of car do you drive?
A: I drive my parents' BMW because it's paid off and they didn't have to buy a new one. It's my dad's baby, so I have to be careful.
Q: Are there any favorite color combinations you wear on the golf course?
A: I like my bright green and dark blue outfits. That's pretty exciting the green skirt and blue top, and you can match the hat if you want to.
Q: How many hours a week do you spend golfing?
A: As many as I possibly can. I haven't stopped golfing in the last few months, actually since, like, April. But I'll get a break after state, so that'll be nice.
Q: Does it get to be a chore?
A: No, it doesn't. I enjoy working hard. I've prided myself on my hard work, so I enjoy it. I know to some people it gets old, but I never get tired of it.
Q: Describe the downstate golf experience.
A: It's a big adrenalin rush. It's really exciting, because you get to play with all the best players in the state, a lot of which are my friends, so it's just fun for me. You play your best and have a good time with it and if you play well, you play well.
Start of the season
The hall of fame season is coming up in various sports. Kick-starting it is the Illinois Coaches Association. Eventually it'll get around to naming 2011 softball hall of famers, but to whet our whistle the ICA has selected its sectional coaches of the year for 2010.
Among the group is Fenton's Dave Mello, Glenbard South's Julie Fonda and Downers Grove South's Ron Havelka.