Catching Up With Junior Kat Keller
4/7/2020 12:00:00 AM | Swimming and Diving
Junior Kat Keller (Nursing/Omaha, Neb.) gives YSUsports.com an update in this Q&A session.
What is your current location?
Bellefontaine, Ohio
How are you keeping your mind on swimming?
I have been talking to my teammates and coaches
What are you doing to stay in shape (working out, running)?
I have been doing workouts that our coach emailed us as well as running outside when the weather is nice
How have you looked at things differently in the past two weeks?
I have looked at things with more gratitude because although this a tough situation. I have a lot to be thankful for like family, friends a place to live, food to eat, internet to do homework and a school that supports me.
What is going to be the toughest thing about not physically going to class?
My learning style is so eclectic. I rely on auditory, visual and physical stimulus to truly learn a topic so just taking my own notes is not enough I struggle when I am not in class listening to a lecture. Also, it is difficult to know what a professor truly wants you to know just by their notes or prerecorded lecture alone because sometimes they end up going into more depth on a topic in class when people ask questions or they tell stories that better explain the information than notes alone.
How has dealing with the current circumstances brought your team together?
We have been snap-chatting a lot and texting in our groupme more than ever. I think this situation has shown us all how important we are to each other and how vital our connections are. It can be hard to know how much you rely on a person until you have been away from them for an extended period.
What makes you most excited for next year?
I am excited to see where our team goes. I know that the majority of the team had a really good conference meet which sets us up well for next year. After seeing the hardworking from this season pay off, people are more willing to put the work in again in seasons to come.
What do you enjoy the most about being at YSU?
The family atmosphere is so prevalent and there has never been a moment that I have not felt welcome.
What do you need to improve upon the most?
Patience for sure. It is hard to sit and wait for anything to happen and not know what is going on outside.
How often do you FaceTime your teammates? What do you guys talk about?
I FaceTime a few of my teammates pretty regularly especially my roommates. We just talk about our lives and what's going on at home. We are either bored out of minds or we saw something that made one of us think of the other.
Have you learned anything about yourself during this?
I have learned I really rely on structure and this has thrown everything off.
What are your hobbies and interests outside of your sport?
Honestly I don't have a lot of hobbies because I am always so busy with school and swim. I love playing with puppies, watching movies and tiktoks though! I also love being outdoors when I can. Right now I am struggling big time because it hasn't been consistently warm.
If you weren't a swimmer or diver, what sport would you like to do?
I am definitely not coordinated enough but I would like to do gymnastics it's such a beautiful and powerful sport!
Who is the funniest person on the team?
Honestly that depends on your sense of humor because our team has a very eclectic sense of humor. Jamie is pretty universally seen as one of the funniest people on the team though, she's always fun to be around
Who is the smartest person on the team?
Definitely Zach (Tomasic). That kid is a human calculator and I am low-key terrified of his brain power!
Who is the toughest person on the team?
Elizabeth (Wompey) for sure. She has overcome obstacle after obstacle the last few months and I admire her ability to stay positive and fight to recover when it would be so easy to give up and succumb to the situation. She has become an image of strength for our whole team.
Who was the most improved member of the team during 2019-20?
I would have to say its a tie between Jackson (Shellogg) and Charlie (Quinn). Both guys went from sprinters to distance swimmers and dropped tons of time in their races at conference. That is not an easy transition especially mid-season so the fact they had so much success is very impressive.
