Rowing | 1/27/2016 4:07:00 PM
Moon Township, Pa. – In one word, an apt description for senior
Paige Oster of the Robert Morris University rowing team would be busy.
And she loves it.
"I've come to find that I thrive on being busy and having every moment of my day filled," Oster said.
A nursing major, Oster has maintained a perfect 4.00 cumulative grade point average (GPA) and is a key member for the Colonials out on the water. Waking up before most people and ending the day later than most, a sense of accomplishment fills each day.
"You get to see the sunrise every day and you get to be out on the water," Oster said. "There are days when you don't want to wake up at 4:30 and go work out for a few hours. But you love it because afterward you feel like you've accomplished something."
Oster came to Robert Morris on an academic scholarship and by chance ran into
Nelle Stahura, the former assistant and current head coach at RMU. She told her about the sport of rowing and helped push her toward the sport. The former head coach of the rowing program, the
late Midge McPhail, helped her thrive.
"Balancing nursing and being a Division I athlete definitely has its ups and downs," Oster said. "It's not been easy. One of the reasons I've been able to make it work is my old coach. Coach Midge definitely impacted my choice to stay committed to rowing all four years."
McPhail's background in the sport of rowing, and her experiences as a Division I athlete, helped shape and mold the current and past members of the Colonials that have made up the rowing program.
"Her story is very motivating," Oster said. "Just the fact that she coached us all the way up until, literally she couldn't coach us anymore, is something that I think will stick with us forever. Those times we visited her when she was in the hospital, those trips we'll never forget. Those emotional times brought us together and allowed our team to bond on a whole new level. It's something most teams don't have to go through, but it definitely made our team a lot stronger."
Oster looks to take her lessons through rowing and nursing to help people in the future.
"Nursing gives me an opportunity to help people learn about their bodies and fix their bodies when they're broken," Oster said. "I really like the one-on-one aspect. You spend much more time with the patient."
