Rowing her way to USA
FORMER Geelong student Keyshana Luscombe-Shockley hopes her US athletics scholarship will push her closer to achieving her goal of representing Australia in Olympic rowing.
The Kardinia International College graduate, who will move to the US in August, is one of hundreds of Australians who have successfully applied for a scholarship to train in the US’s elite college athletics program.
Associate director of the eligibility centre of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Ashley Thornburg, who will speak in Geelong next week, said more than 800 Australians were currently taking part in a US college athletics program.
Keyshana, who will move to California to study at St Mary’s College next year, had always dreamt of studying at a US college and being part of the sporting community.
Her father, who is American, wanted his daughter to experience the same college life he did.
“(Going to US college) has pretty much been one of my dad’s dreams — when I started rowing I realised it was probably my best opportunity to get over there,” Keyshana said.
The champion rower has been selected to take part in a division one program and hopes to participate in the Tokyo 2020 or Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
“I’m quite a competitive person, I have a really competitive nature — the feeling you get when everyone is rowing, giving it 110 per cent, is like nothing else,” said Keyshana, who will study a psychology degree.
“Probably my greatest achievements so far are rowing for Victoria and becoming the emergency for the senior woman’s eight.”