Published: November 02, 2009 09:11 am      

Rowing her boat

Former Byng runner tries new sport

BYNG — There’s a strong likelihood when 2009 Byng High School graduate Kelsey O’Grady was little, she probably sang — at least once — the popular children’s title “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.”

Now, she’s rowing her way to college as a member of the University of Oklahoma’s rowing team.

O’Grady was recruited by OU for the rowing team, which sort of caught the former Lady Pirate athlete off guard.

“I guess it was kind of surprising,” O’Grady said. “But I’m glad it happened because I really like it.”

O’Grady said that she was concerned whether she could get used to a new sport, but after short adjustment period she likes rowing.

“I was really worried about the fact that different muscles were going to be used more than were used in cross country, but now that I’ve gotten into the routine of rowing workouts, it’s really helped me physically,” she said. “I really enjoy the workouts, which is really surprising. Cross country definitely helped me get used to rowing. The mental toughness you need in cross country helps you in rowing, and definitely the fitness from cross country has helped me in rowing because it is a long-distance sport.”

But there’s been a lot of sacrifice O’Grady has had to do — namely early-morning workouts.

“At the beginning it was quite tough,” the Byng graduate said. “Those 5 o’clock (in the morning) morning workouts can be rather tough. I really enjoy being out on the water in the mornings. The girls are great, and the coaching staff is awesome. I really enjoy it. If you want a tough workout, rowing is the way to go.”

Byng cross country coach Clint McGaha is excited that one of his prize pupils is getting a chance to compete at the next level.

“She's a hard worker. She was a great student and great girl, and I'm glad she's able to pursue something like that,” he said. “She's getting to do something that not too many kids her age would get the chance to do from around here.”

Like the high school sports at which O’Grady excelled — cross country and track — rowing has its two seasons — long races in the fall and shorter races in the spring.

“I guess you can compare them to cross country and track seasons,” O’Grady said. “There are no national championships in the fall season, but there is in the spring. The fall season kind of gets you ready for the spring season.”

O’Grady has one last fall meet this season — Nov. 7 at the Longhorn Invitational in Austin, Texas. Her other fall meet was at Bricktown in Oklahoma City last month. She will have a spring meet at Bricktown in March.

After the meet in Austin, there will not be much downtime for O’Grady.

“We’ll continue our workouts all throughout the (fall) semester,” she said. “Our workouts might get a little shorter, but we’ll be rowing in the snow, so we’re going to have to be tough. Then, over Christmas break, we’re going to San Diego and have a training camp for a week. I’ve never been there, so I’m really excited.”

O’Grady is on the novice team at OU, but with success she can make the upper-class team — which would mean a chance at an athletic scholarship.

“Hopefully, I’ll get a scholarship then,” the OU freshman said.

O’Grady’s academic path is not an easy one either — majoring in Micro-biology and Religious Studies.

“I’m a pre-med student, and that’s where the Micro-biology comes in,” O’Grady said. “And I wanted to be well-rounded, and Religious Studies kind of sounded interesting. I want to be in orthopedic surgery. I’ve got medical school and residency to look forward to.

“I really like it. It’s challenging, and I really like that. There’s a lot of interesting things you can do with your majors. There are a lot of clubs that are provided with your majors to help you get accustomed to what you’re going to face in the future.”

The main reason O’Grady chose OU was its proximity to home.

“I really like being close to my family,” the former Byng runner said. “That’s one of the reasons why I chose OU. I had been thinking about attending Dallas Baptist University, but they don’t have any athletics I would have participated in. I was actually thinking about going to Kansas for rowing. The University of Tulsa was another possibility, but in the end I chose OU. I love it here.”