July 1, 2009 – Athletics

When they weren’t competing on the basketball court, Kayla Gordon ’10 (on the left) and her teammates had the opportunity to enjoy their surroundings in Bosnia, Croatia, and Italy. She is pictured here with teammates Shaina Kaiser from Denison University (center) and Katherine Hueter from Wittenberg University, on a boat in front of a waterfall at the National Park Krka in Sibenik, Croatia.

Photo courtesy of Kayla Gordon ’10

Gordon and Teammates Win Adriatic Sea Coast Tour
A winning blend of basketball and travel

It’s not enough that OWU’s Kayla Gordon ’10 played an instrumental role in helping her team win the NCAC women’s basketball tournament championship for Ohio Wesleyan this year; she also took her incredible talent a bit farther from home recently, to help her teammates win the Adriatic Sea Coast Tour which took place from June 2-11. Bosnia, Croatia, and Italy were the playing locales.

Sponsored by the organization USA Athletes International, the men’s and women’s teams were comprised of players who were hand selected by either team coaches or by the organization, which also set up the games and sightseeing opportunities for the athletes. Gordon, a forward for the Bishops, was invited to play by her trip coach, Sara Lee, women’s basketball coach at Denison University.

“Of my nine teammates on the tour, one was from Denison and another was a Wittenberg student,” says Gordon. “Our first stop was Sarajevo, where we played local student teams and won three games.”

After seeing the beautiful countryside and some of the city still somewhat run down after the civil wars of the 1990s, the traveling teams (two women’s and two men’s) moved on to another tournament, and another win for Gordon’s team in Croatia.

“While driving from Bosnia to Croatia, we stopped in Mostar and saw the reconstructed Old Bridge, built originally more than four centuries ago, and destroyed by tank shelling in 1993,” says Gordon. She and her teammates also enjoyed the nearby beach (…“No sand, but still very nice,” she says ), and again, they marveled at the beauty of the landscape surrounding them. Then it was on to Venice and a final team victory, this time highlighted by gondola rides and a visit to a glass blowing factory.

“This trip—my first big journey—was a great opportunity for us to meet people of the world and compare our cultures,” says Gordon, a Psychology and Women and Gender Studies double major from St. Louis. She also plays on OWU’s softball team, and is a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.

“Being a student-athlete requires discipline and planning better for unexpected things,” notes Gordon, who insists that playing two sports rather than one is easier.

“I need to make that year-round commitment.” And her dedication and work ethic are paying off.

“Kayla is one of the finest players in the North Coast Athletic Conference,” says Nan Carney-DeBord, women’s basketball coach at OWU. “To have her represent the conference, OWU, and her country abroad was honorable. Kayla’s basketball skill and academic prowess are impressive, but even more impressive is her love of the game and her ability to make her team better, regardless of with whom or where she is playing,” says Carney-DeBord.

– Pam Besel