By Elizabeth Robinson - Athletic Communications Student Assistant
To Chelsea Smith, a simple penny is
worth much more than a cent. A penny
represents work, sweat, determination and reaching a goal. A penny isn't just an ordinary coin; it stands
for improvement, belief in oneself, and meeting expectations. Smith, a former Drake crew member, set a goal
for herself and worked tirelessly to accomplish that goal. With every improvement, every practice and
every step closer to reaching that goal, Smith dropped one penny in a jar.
With more than 1,200 pennies in-tow,
Smith has reached her goal. This October, she will travel to Guadalajara,
Mexico to compete in the Pan American Games. It wasn't an easy journey.
As a freshman, Smith bought into
the Drake student lifestyle and became involved on campus almost immediately. After
discovering an interest in rowing the summer before entering college, Smith jumped
at the chance to join Drake's crew. Along with several activities and her biochemistry
and molecular biology classes, she excelled as a rower.
The heavy class load and time
commitment led Smith to question if she would continue with her career as a
collegiate rower following her sophomore year.
After a bout of uncertainty, Smith bounced back even stronger and more
determined than before.
"I decided that I wanted to
continue with rowing," she said. "I wanted to make the national team."
With only two spots available on
the national team, the odds were against her. Smith, along with her jar of
pennies, was determined to make the team.
"I didn't want to break
her spirit," Drake crew coach Charlie DiSilvestro said, "but I let her know that there was a chance
she'd do all of this work and not make the team. I told her 'it's going to be tough, you have
a lot going on, and you'll have to make tough choices.' But she never
complained, she made it work, and she got the work done."
DiSilvestro worked with Smith in
her endeavor. Increased practices and workouts proved to be beneficial for the
remainder of Smith's Drake crew experience and helped prepare her for a
national team audition. As a junior,
Smith and the team went on to medal in the Dad Vail Regatta, the largest collegiate
regatta in North America. This success continued into her senior year and
eventually, Smith decided to pursue rowing after graduation.
"We went to a national team camp
at the Oklahoma City National High Performance Center and toured the facilities,"
she said. "I decided I really wanted to go there. In December of my senior year,
I found out I'd be a pre-elite athlete at their light-weight facility."
Smith's athleticism and drive
only increased upon her arrival in Oklahoma City.
"Sometimes you get to a point
where you don't know if you can go faster," Smith said. "But you have to push
yourself. You have to ask more of yourself."
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"Sometimes you get to a point
where you don't know if you can go faster.
You have to push
yourself. You have to ask more of yourself."
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In spring of 2011, after rigorous work at Oklahoma City's
facilities, Smith gained residency, or a position in a boat, for the USRowing
Training Center's team. Her next step
was a spot in the Pan American Games Trials at Mercer Lake in West Windsor, New
Jersey.
Smith and rowing partner Michelle Sechser were the only two
competitors in the lightweight doubles sculls event who had never been on a
national team. The competition was
tough, yet the two held their own and started the Trials on a high note.
"Usually, we're not
really good at starting the race," Smith said. "But this time we went off and were ahead
right away. We won the heat."
The second race, which determined
whether the two would qualify for the Pan American Games, was just as thrilling.
"We crossed the line and we were
freaking out because we were ahead of everyone right away," she said. "We were just moving and we were at some
ridiculous pace and my partner said 'we're actually doing this.' I think I even shed a tear."
The team maintained its lead and finished
with a time of 7:14.11; good enough for a spot in the Pan American Trials.
Smith is now preparing to travel to
the Pan American Games to compete alongside 42 nations, many of which are
Olympic hopefuls. Smith hopes to place
in the top 10 at the Games and eventually qualify for the 2012 Olympics in
London.
Smith says that belief in
oneself and hard work are the determining factors in accomplishing lofty goals,
like those she sets for herself.
"In order to achieve your goals,
you have to go out there and be confident in yourself to do something," she
said. "Thinking back to my junior year, it seemed crazy to think about nationals.
To think that this is possible, it just takes a lot of believing."
And a lot of pennies.
