Casady: Shanna Schuelein a star on the rise…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Sometimes you forget about things. Because the OSSAA no longer has diving as part of its winter championships, you forget that diving does still exist in the state. And in fact, Casady has one of the better ones.
Junior Shanna Schuelein has been diving since she was 9 years old and placed second at the Southwest Prep Conference Championships last month.
A lot of diving schools are giving her looks and one thing I know is that location won’t be the No. 1 reason on her making the choice.
Here’s a small sample of where she’s been for competitions: Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Florida, North Carolina, Wisconsin, California.
Heck, during the summer, she trains in California for 5-6 hours a day. Interesting to see how she develops here in the next couple of years or so.
Favorite movie: The Wizard of Oz
Favorite TV show: Friends
Favorite singer: Taylor Swift
And here’s the piece I wrote on Schuelein for Friday’s paper:
Casady diver got her start in gymnastics
By Robert Przybylo
When Casady junior Shanna Schuelein was 9 years old, she was headed toward a career in gymnastics.
Her mother has been a gymnastics coach for more than 20 years, and Schuelein was following in those footsteps.
Then came a chance meeting with diving legend Alik Sarkisian.
Sarkisian, a 13-time Armenian national champion who also coached the Armenian team at the 1996 Summer Olympics, saw Schuelein at a tumbling and trampoline event and asked if Schuelein had ever thought of diving.
The sports utilize a lot of the same skills, and Schuelein decided to give it a try. She hasn’t let up since, specializing in springboard diving.
“I just love how it feels flying through the air,” Schuelein said. “I wasn’t so much scared on my first dive but really excited.”
For a while, Schuelein participated in diving and gymnastics. But the latter became tough on her ankles, and she decided to give it up to focus more on diving.
Despite her mother’s passion for gymnastics, it was a smooth transition for Schuelein.
“Being a parent and being a coach are two completely different things,” Shanna’s mother, Terri Schuelein, said. “I’m very excited that she has found a passion for something – doesn’t matter what it is.”
Sarkisian became the coach at Northwestern in Evanston, Ill., and Mark Butcher took over the coaching duties in 2005.
Butcher created Dive Oklahoma that saw a lot of success before Butcher became the program director for Santa Clara Diving in California.
Though Butcher still resides in California, that hasn’t stopped the partnership.
Schuelein shoots video of every practice and sends it to Butcher via e-mail.
“It’s really unique and pretty cool,” Schuelein said. “He’s able to help me even though he’s far away.”
The sessions must be working. Schuelein placed fourth at a recent Junior Olympic Camp and was second at the Southwest Prep Conference Championships.
Her life isn’t dominated by diving – it just feels that way. She practices two hours a day when in Oklahoma. During the summer, when she goes to California to practice, she’s out there between five and six hours a day.
“I’m still able to do so much stuff and just be a normal kid,” Schuelein said.
Schuelein also runs cross country and is a cheerleader for Casady.
Competitions have taken her to places such as Texas, Florida, California and Wisconsin.
“I’ve gotten to see a lot of cool things and meet some wonderful people and families,” Schuelein said. “Diving has been a real blessing in my life.”
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment