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Saturday, October 4, 2008
Pursuit & Perseverance
Greater Louisville, KY
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By: Karen Delaney, Murray State Rowing Team
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College coaches in women’s sports may not have the budget to seek you out. But scholarship money is often available if you look for it.
Collegiate athletics were the highlight of my college experience. While the days, weeks and hours I invested into rowing may have drained me physically, emotionally and psychologically, I could never imagine college life without sports.
Collegiate athletics made me a better student, athlete and friend. My teammates became my family for nine months of the year. We practiced, traveled, lived, cried and grew as young women together. We spent countless hours with one common goal, and the payoff came when our efforts became reality in the water. The blood, sweat, and tears were more than worth it.
As a high school senior, I did not intend to continue athletics. I declined offers to play collegiate field hockey because I was hesitant to move far from my family. However, once I arrived at Murray State University, I discovered the rowing team. After my first semester I earned a scholarship, which gradually increased to a full ride by my senior year.
Many women (and men, for that matter) do not realize the amount of scholarship money that is available to them in the less-publicized sports. Coaches have financial discretion with respect to scholarship allocation for their players. However, they may not always have the resources to locate the players they need.
I share my experiences to encourage young women to continue their dream of pursuing collegiate athletics. The accomplishments of women in sport are consistently given less exposure by the media than men’s sports, but that does not mean opportunities are unavailable. Sometimes you just have to work a little harder for what you want.
The first step is to be proactive. It is never too early to begin searching for a college and a team that is a good fit for you. Many athletes wait until their senior year to begin looking. By this time, many coaches have already found prospective athletes and are ready to begin signing.
However, if you begin displaying interest during your junior year, college coaches can start tracking your progress. If you are continually improving, coaches will notice and consider how you will develop under four years of their leadership. Also, note the number of seniors graduating. This may increase your chances of obtaining a scholarship at a given institution since most seniors receive assistance. Finally, begin filling out prospective student-athlete questionnaires and follow up with a phone call to the assistant coach. This is the most efficient way to get in touch with the team, because these coaches are normally in charge of recruiting.
Athletes are anything but normal. We pound our bodies at practice and attend two-a-days during the summer when most students are catching up on sleep. If I could give one piece of advice to any high school athlete, it would be that persistence pays off and dreams come true. While this may come easier to some than others, the outcome of competing for four years at an NCAA institution is well worth whatever it takes to get there. Opportunity is knocking, will you answer?
Karen Delaney was a four-year member of the rowing team at Murray State University. She planned to serve as assistant coach after graduation. Unfortunately, the program was discontinued.
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