By Spencer Anderson
For senior javelin thrower Kelsie Taylor, the decision to come to Washington State University was less about athletics and more about academics.
A kinesiology major with a minor in psychology, Taylor said the biggest thing that influenced her choice was the kinesiology program. Since her freshman year of high school, she's always known that she wanted to become a physical therapist. At age 14, she had to have physical therapy and she liked the upbeat environment at the clinic. Another factor in her decision to study physical therapy was that helping others is her passion in life.
"That sounds a little bit cliché,” Taylor said. “To me, the most appealing part of physical therapy is the ability to be creative. There's not just one single answer to any problem, and I like being able to use my creativity to help other people."
Community service is very important to Taylor, and she has always felt compelled to volunteer. She enjoys officiating in the Special Olympics basketball tournaments, and she has been a Peer Academic Counselor at WSU. At the WSU 34th Annual Senior Recognition Luncheon May 6, Taylor was honored with the Steve Gleason Community Service and Leadership Award, given to those who have demonstrated strong citizenship skills and leadership qualities within their team and throughout the athletic department and community, and the Beulah M. Blankenship Outstanding Student-Athlete Award which recognizes contributions to the highest values of athletic expression by sportsmanship, dedication and positive regard for others. She was also one of the graduating student-athletes to be honored with the Senior Excellence in Academics Award, given to seniors who have earned a minimum of 90 credits with at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA, been members of the WSU Athletics All-Academic Team each semester, enrolled at WSU for at least two years, and excelled in their degree program and sport program.
"It's all about priorities and time management,” Taylor said. “I think a lot of people have this stigma that athletics take up so much of your time that you don't have the ability to take advantage of what the university really offers you. I think your academics should come first, especially in sports such as track and field when going pro is hardly an option. There's no NFL of the javelin."
Taylor served as the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) vice president and made history in October 2015 as the first WSU student-athlete representative on the Pac-12 Student-Athlete Leadership Team (SALT) that joined Pac-12 Athletics Directors, Faculty Athletics Representatives and Senior Woman Administrators at the Pac-12 Council meetings.
For Taylor, graduation from WSU means more school. She plans on eventually going for a doctorate in physical therapy, but has yet to choose which academic institution for her postgraduate studies.
Originally from Naches, Wash., Taylor said her home was 20 miles up in the woods, but she described her childhood as “the coolest.” Without television or cell phone reception, her time was spent outside hunting and fishing with her older brother Jordan, whom she describes as her best friend. Now she tries to get down to the Snake River to fish when she has time and the weather is nice. Trap shooting is also a favorite activity of Taylor's, and she likes to teach people about it whenever she can.
Taylor started playing basketball when she was four-years-old, and continued to play throughout high school. At first, she was thinking that she might play basketball in college.
"Track kind of fell into my hands my freshman year of high school, I'd never even done it,” Taylor said. “One of the girls who I grew up playing basketball with, her dad was the throws coach, and he told me to try it out. I was like, 'I might as well try it,' and my freshman year, I went to state in all three throwing events. I did good but not great. In my sophomore year, I ended up getting second at state, and that's when it kind of happened."
Taylor had knee surgery during her senior year of high school and was recovering during the collegiate recruiting process. She then had another ACL tear her freshman year of college, but recovered relatively quickly once again and never had to take a redshirt season.
A goal-oriented person, being a captain was one of Taylor's number one goals when she came to WSU. She said is doesn't feel like she's done anything special to deserve it, but she is thankful for the opportunity to branch out and help others.
"A lot of times, especially in the sport of track and field, you find it being very cliquish,” Taylor said. “The distance runners are a group, the throwers are a group, and the sprinters are a group. But I like breaking out of that and becoming friends with a lot of different people and joining groups together. That's the coolest part about being a captain. I care about my teammates' successes more than my own successes.”
