Though she typically works nightshift, Samantha Pill’s day job is a nurse at United Hospital Center’s emergency department. During her remaining hours, she takes care of her two young children – and the goats, chickens and horses on her Oak Dale farm – and adamantly trains as a boxer.

 

Last weekend, she claimed the championship in the women’s middle weight division at the 37^th Annual Budweiser Toughman Contest at Clarksburg’s Nathan Goff Armory.

 

“There were four girls in it this year. I had two fights – a knockout in the second one and in the first, I went two rounds and she did fall in the second,” said the six-foot-tall, 155-pound Pill. “I went 6-0 total with four TKOs.”

 

It’s a title she has aspired to win since she was a student at Lincoln High School and a member of the Lady Cougars basketball team.

 

“I went to my first Toughman contest in 2005 and knew I eventually would do that,” said Pill, the former Samantha Scott.

 

Though it was a real goal, it was not an immediate one.

 

“I wanted to go to nursing school, get a job, get married and have kids,” she said. “I hadn’t competed since I played ball for Lincoln so I had a big gap – kind of a hole in my heart.”

 

So after she and her husband Jesse Pill had their second child, she started doing some self-training. In addition to working out at home, Pill took Eric Lopez's plyometric boxing class at Main Street Fitness in Bridgeport.

 

“It’s a great workout for anyone wanting to get into shape and the boxing was just a bonus,” she said. “I had a blast in that class.”

 

Soon thereafter, she hooked up with professional boxer Keith Barr, who she said helped turn her ambition into reality.

 

“We met through a mutual friend – Brooke Swisher. I’ve known Brooke for years and she told me that her good friend wanted to learn how to box to stay in shape for fun,” Barr said. “I saw potential in her. Her arms are long and she’s strong. I thought, ‘She may be good at this thing.’ She came in for a couple sessions, life got in the way and we both got busy.”

 

During that time, Pill also ran a pocketknife through her hand. That put a halt to her training for several months.

 

“Then one day we reconnected at Planet Fitness,” Barr said. “She said she was ready to do it and was serious.”

Planet Fitness was gracious enough to let him and Pill train at the Meadowbrook Mall facility.

 

“Everybody wanted to watch and see how strong she was. They let us train there for two months or so to get ready for the Tough Man contest in Clarksburg,” he said.

 

Pill’s initial experience with that contest ended in disappointment. She won her initial fight, but her competitor didn’t return to the ring for the next night's finals.

 

“Samantha was too impressive, so no one showed,” Barr said. “She was really disappointed because that’s the one she really wanted to win because it was in her hometown.”

 

The training continued and Pill participated in and won her division in the Elkins Toughman Contest. She also entered a March 2015 fight in Fairmont which Barr was promoting.

 

“I put her up against a runner-up from Wheeling and she knocked her out in the first round,” he said. “I knew then that this girl is something special.”

 

That was the fight during which Pill became hooked, she said.

 

“I was ready to go back to Clarksburg to win one for the hometown crowd,” she said.

 

The training continued and became even more intense. She set a goal to run faster and longer. She did pull-ups in the barn and hit the heavy bag in the basement every chance she got.

 

“Part of what I enjoy about my self-training is that I have to get creative,” she said. “I spend a lot of late nights in the basement when the kids are asleep or run up the hill in the mornings to get the hay to feed the goats. Whenever I find time, I put it in. My training is a little out of the box.”

 

The reactions from her family members were interesting.

 

“My husband was hoping it was a phase and my mom just cringes, but they’ve seen that it lights my fire. When you have something that drives you, you want to do better and improve. It just sticks,” Pill said.

 

Her 6-year-old son Collen has learned some mitt work and does a little sparring in the family’s boxing ring. Fortunately, he hasn’t practiced on his sister, Pill said. Three-year-old Remy likes to watch her mom’s boxing videos and often confuses her with Holly Holm.

 

“We’ll be watching Holly and Remy will yell, ‘Go Mommy,’” Pill said. “She also said she wants to grow up to be strong and box like her mom.”

 

 

Pill has worked as an emergency room nurse at United Hospital Center since 2007. It’s definitely a career which suits her.

 

“I’m someone who is there at the unexpected time in someone’s life – when they need somebody,” she said. “I’ve always loved nursing. It’s one-on-one and it’s personal. I can connect with people on a personal level which makes them more secure during an illness or injury. Sometimes, it’s that little bit of hope they need to hold onto.”

 

She said it’s like having a little adrenaline in your pocket – ready to share it with someone.

 

Like her work, boxing provides that rush, but in a different way.

 

“Once the bell rings, it’s not over until it rings again. It’s that drive – that start to finish challenge,” she said. “I like that challenge to see how much faster I can be or how much harder I can hit. People get confused because I am a nurse. It’s not that I want to hurt people. It’s a sport.”

 

Like she has heard many times, it can be a lonely sport.

 

“People can teach you and train you one-on-one but most of the time, it’s just you,” she said. “You can stay in shape or not. It’s about how hard you drive and how determined you are to get better.”  

 

Pill has the right attitude and has been a sponge insofar as soaking up technique, Barr said.

 

“Anything you tell her, she absolutely grasps. One of the biggest things about boxing is being able to listen and learn so they can have that perfect will to win and not give up,” he said. “And she’s hard on herself. Being a perfectionist makes her work that much harder.”

 

Pill’s friends and coworkers are impressed by her drive and accomplishments.

 

“I’m so proud of Sam,” said Ashley Glass. “She trained hard to get where she is and is an inspiration to all of us at work. She will work a 12-and-a-half hour midnight shift, then go run two miles around the hospital. Her hard work and dedication paid off and I’m happy she has succeeded in her goals.”

 

Known as “Leggz” in the ring – a boxing nickname given to her by her brothers – Pill, who turns 29 years old this month, is very grateful for the love and support provided by her family, friends and coworkers.

 

She also feels very fortunate to have connected with Barr and learned from his expertise. The Burnsville resident claimed the 2008 heavyweight championship at the Clarksburg Toughman Contest and subsequently competed in the world championships in Mississippi. In 2009, he defeated world champion "Sugar" Ray Hammond and immediately turned pro.

 

His coaching is one of the many blessings she has received during this journey, Pill said. 

 

“God has blessed me and I believe has given me a talent I can grow into,” she said. “I hope to inspire other moms or women of any age to chase their dreams – big or small.” 

 

Editor's Note: Pictured above is Pill in the boxing ring and training at the gym and at her farm, located on the outskirts of Shinnston. 

 

Julie Perine can be reached at 304-848-7200, julie@connect-bridgeport.com or follow @JuliePerine on Twitter.