Kaydee Cooper is a fifth-year senior accounting major from Woodruff, South Carolina.
She is captain of RU’s varsity women’s bowling team. Here is her story:
I came from a small town in South Carolina and bowling isn’t a recognized sport in high schools. I found a love for bowling through youth leagues and various tournaments. Those programs and tournaments couldn’t really prepare me for bowling in college and everything that I eventually would learn about the sport.
In the South, there aren’t many opportunities to bowl in college, and the Midwest is one of the only regions where there is an opportunity for bowlers to participate in a varsity-level collegiate sport in an athletic conference. I was recruited by RU and felt called to be here.
The transition coming from a small town and moving to a large metro area and to a different part of the country was difficult, but I had a lot of supporters by my side to help.
My support came from those around me every day and my family from afar. These are the people I look to hold me up when I have feelings of doubt. My teammates, especially those who have been here with me since my freshman year, have helped me become the person I am today. My family at home has supported me every day from 12 hours away and willed me to do my best regardless of the outcome.
One of the difficulties I — and the bowling team — faced was when our former coach left the position. It was a trying time for all of us, filled with pain, self-doubt and confusion. But that situation and the outcome have led me to some of the happiest moments and best memories of my life.
Our new coach, Craig Woodman, has encouraged me to grow and flourish in a way that I did not think was possible! Since I’ve been on this campus for four years already, I have heard about what it should mean to be an RU warrior, and I’ve witnessed different examples of what that means.
For me, being an RU warrior is acting responsibly, being strong in the face of adversity, and understanding my personal and my team’s strengths and weaknesses.
I hope my fellow and future teammates will be able to stand on that foundation and continue to create a skilled, competitive and high-character bowling team. I know that we all will have future storms to face in our lives, but now that I’ve weathered some storms in my young existence, I know that living a life with persistence and integrity will help me see the sunshine.