News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sisters High School graduate Kelsey White made the varsity boat on the Willamette University rowing team as a freshman. Now that boat is headed to Camden, New Jersey, for the NCAA Women's Rowing Championships.
This is Willamette University's first appearance in the championships. The university was selected to send one of two "at large" teams to compete against seven other squads sending both varsity and junior varsity boats.
"We'll race against all the teams," White said.
The championships are held May 28-30 on the Cooper River. White said she's not looking ahead toward any particular outcome.
"Right now, I'm just excited to be going," she said. "That's the win for us."
White took up rowing a couple of years ago, under the tutelage of talented amateur rower and Camp Sherman resident Bethanne Kronick. The pair worked out on Suttle Lake, where White learned the technique that landed her a place at an oar on the varsity team.
"She's strong," Kronick said. "She's a very, very strong girl. She's got excellent form... She's very driven."
Rowing requires tremendous physical strength and stamina - but that's not the only demand, according to Kronick. It requires intense mental focus - keeping your eyes in the boat."
"Just turning your head can alter the balance of the boat," Kronick said.
White took to the sport like a duck to water, and she decided to pursue it in college.
"I thought about doing it in college, and I tried out for the team and I loved it," she said. "All my friends are on the team."
Right now, White is buried in training, preparing for the big event.
"We've been doing two-a-day and three-a-day practices," she said. "It's pretty cool, though, because school's out and that's all there is to do."
Kelsey White is the daughter of Roger and Katy White of Camp Sherman.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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