Student-Athlete of the Week: Rowan Osgood

The Niwot girls swim team has faced its share of challenges over the past few seasons, from lack of a home facility, to a coaching turnover, and, of course, the myriad complications due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But with a new St. Vrain Valley district pool set to open next month, plus a more conventional schedule in 2021-22, senior Rowan Osgood is excited for her best swim season yet.

"I absolutely think there's more stability this year," the third-year veteran said of her Niwot swimming career, which has been marked with turmoil. "I think our coaches are very focused on the team community, and making sure that we all have a good time and have fun, but are also safe."

Indeed, the 2020-21 season will probably not be widely remembered as "fun" by many high school swimmers. Teams were limited to just 25 swimmers, spectators were barred from most meets, and contact between swimmers and teams was severely curtailed. Now that competition is back on more normal footing, Osgood said the difference between the two seasons is stark.

"This year we had our first really big meet at VMAC, and the whole time everyone was on their feet, cheering on everybody else. It was really nice to be there for your teammates, and then have your teammates watching you, not just the coaches."

Looking ahead, Osgood is hoping to set some personal records in the pool, where she specializes in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yd backstroke. She is also looking forward to having a new home pool when a new aquatics facility opens at Silver Creek High next semester. Since 2018, the Cougars have had to scramble for local pool time, and damage was found at Longmont's Centennial pool. The district pool broke ground earlier this year, after voters approved a bond measure to build the facility.

"I'm actually super stoked about that," she said of the new center. "Because it's just going to be really nice to have our own team pool where we can host meets, hopefully. I'm just super excited to see what it looks like, and for it, honestly, just be finished in time for me to use it."

Osgood is also looking forward to a second season swimming for head coach Kyle Borchardt and assistant Aimee Keronen, after longtime coach Sarah Stamp stepped down after the 2020 season. Though coaching transitions can be awkward, Osgood said it's been the opposite for her so far.

"The new coaches know what they're doing," the veteran said. "It's been harder, because they're whipping us into shape, but I really enjoy it."

That has led to a closer team dynamic in the early weeks of the season, Osgood explained, and should lead to even more success for Niwot during the postseason in February.

"We have team Instagram pages--a meme page, which is really cool, and a team page, where we check in and do updates. And we all dress up together on Friday before meets."

When she's not in the pool for Niwot, Osgood is one of the school's top students, with a course load full of science-focused AP classes, with some art classes added in. For three years, she was also an active member of the Niwot theater department, and made the "tough choice" to give up her sophomore swim season in favor of a turn on the stage. She is taking the opposite path as a senior, another "tough choice," she said, but the kind that you sometimes have to make.

"It's okay to prioritize yourself, and what you want before what other people think you should do," she said. "I've found that a lot of the hardest decisions that I've had to make, there are other people involved that I want to self-sacrifice for. You have to just prioritize yourself sometimes.

After graduating from Niwot, Osgood will be off to college to pursue a medical degree and hopefully join a competitive swim team. As of now, she is leaning towards the University of Montana in Bozeman, which she called a "good STEM" school. However, she is still waiting to hear back from four of the 11 schools she applied to, so nothing is yet final.

During her free time, the longtime downtown Niwot resident enjoys skiing and spending time with her three brothers.