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Change of sport leads  to scholarship for rower

Greenon grad had little athletic success until she traded soccer for the GDRA.

Rower Shelby Stafford has received a scholarship from the University of Louisville. Stafford played soccer until her junior year, when she joined the Greater Dayton Rowing Association.

Contributed photo Rower Shelby Stafford has received a scholarship from the University of Louisville. Stafford played soccer until her junior year, when she joined the Greater Dayton Rowing Association.

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By Mickey Zezzo, Contributing Writer Updated 12:50 AM Monday, June 14, 2010

ENON — If you don’t succeed, try again.

Diligent and determined Shelby Stafford went one better: She tried a different sport.

The result: a full scholarship to the University of Louisville.

The Greenon High School grad spent most of her young life trying to master soccer — starting in kindergarten — but had little to show for it except a lot of bumps and bruises.

Last fall Greenon power-lifting coach, Tim Hale, who’s also the Knights’ head football coach, told her that her strength might be better suited to rowing.

So she headed to the Greater Dayton Rowing Association and spent the winter working out on the erg, or rowing machine.

“It seemed a little unnatural at first,” said Stafford, who played all positions in soccer including goalkeeper. “But with the help and guidance of coach Figg (Brent Figg, GDRA head coach) I got the hang of it.

“He’s a first-rate coach and knows a lot about a lot of things, not just rowing. He’s inspirational, too, and he immediately put me on a training regimen.”

Figg, who coached rowing at William & Mary for three years in his 15-year career, calls his new protege “one of the quickest learners I have ever coached. It may have seemed unnatural to her at first, but I think she’s a natural at rowing.

“Her progress on the rowing machine got a lot of looks from several college coaches and she finally chose Louisville — and Louisville has been among the top 20 in the NCAA.”

Figg also said his young phenom is best suited for quads/sculling (four-person boat).

“Her strength guides her that way and she’s adapting very well,” he said. “It takes mental and physical toughness to be a rower and Shelby has both.”

The U of L coaches apparently agree, and the fact that the Cardinal rowers finished second in the Big East and are regularly among the NCAA’s top 20 lends prestige to the Stafford story.

Ohio State and Virginia were among others offering full scholarships to Stafford.

Figg, a native of Detroit who now lives in Cincinnati, grew up in Grosse Isle, Mich. He rowed varsity for four years at the University of Cincinnati and spent time coaching in Australia, before returning to UC as head coach from 2004-09.

The 5-foot-11 Stafford, who will major in exercise science at Louisville, hails from a strong sports family. Her father, Tom, was a swimmer in high school and college, and her mom, Pam, was an 800-meter runner in high school.

An older sister, Jordan, is a sophomore sprinter at Wittenberg, where she helped the 400-relay unit erase the school record in that event.

“I’m really looking forward to U of L and rowing down that beautiful Ohio River,” said Stafford, sounding like someone who is comfortable in her “new” sport.

Contact this writer at (937) 236-6032; mickeyz@zoomtown.com

Sports&Recreation

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