USD Magazine, Summer 2003

ALMANAC

Untroubl Rower Unfazed by Frenetic Pace by Timothy McKernan K elsey Watters appears co live in a different world from the rest of us - one that has more than 24 hours in a day. Watters, who just finished her junior year, is an honors student in biology and chemistry. She is a resident adviser in the Missions housing complex, where she mentors a cadre of 39 ocher honors stu– dents. Watters also volunteers at a local children's hospital, and spends summers as a counselor at a camp for disabled kids. She is direccor of USD's chapter of Best Buddies, an organization chat pairs college students with learning-disabled youths, and spends several hours a week with her buddy, a teen-ager with Down syndrome. While she chinks about applying co medical school, Watters is cer– tain the year after she finishes college will be spent in the Peace Corps. Oh yeah, one ocher thing. Ac 5 a.m., five days a week, from September co May, you can find Watters on Mission Bay, training with the women's crew team. And - no surprise - Watters also

Watters' center position in the boat is some– times called the "engine room," and is reserved for che strongest rowers. Her coach, Leeanne Crain, says the athlete's work ethic is apparent in a simple face: of the 15 freshman girls Crain recruited to the team three years ago, only Watters remains. "Somewhere she just made up her mind she is going co excel at whatever she does," says Crain, who led chis year's squad co a second place finish at the West Coast Conference championships. ''I've worked with many dedi–

KelseyWatters anchors the crew team in her center position, known as the boat's "engine room."

cated athletes over the years, but I've never seen anyone like her. " Watters, who played soccer at her Lynn, Ore., high school, never gave crew a thought until a friend asked her co attend a recruiting meeting during freshman orientation. It wasn't until after she joined the team that she realized crew was in her blood - her mom rowed at Oregon Scace. "That was pretty cool," Watters says. "It's fun co talk with her about how the sport has changed over the years." Crain says Watters - who was named co the first team of the 2003 Western Intercollegiate Rowing Championships - has made significant progress in her relatively shore career, and chat her senior season could be very special. "She has improved so much, it is possible she could become an elite collegiate rower," the coach says, adding that Watters' perform– ance on the ergometer - an indoor training device - is approach– ing the level chat commands attention from U.S. National Team coaches. "If she works hard, she could continu~ rowing after college. " Watters is flattered by the attention and by favorable comparisons

represents the team on the university's Student Athlete Council. "I like being busy," says Watters, who helped the team win the San Diego City Championships chis year. "Sometimes friends cell me to relax, chat I'm doing coo much, but it seems the more I do, che more energy I have."

The women's crew team prepares for competi– tion with daily 5 a.m. workouts on San Diego's Mission Bay.

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USD MAG AZ I NE