Blog 5-Laura Bergey

Going to OU and competing individually sounded better than chasing her collegiate equestrian dream at OSU for this Norman local.

“OU is the only school in the Big 12 without an equestrian program,” junior Laura Bergey said. “I wanted to be on a collegiate team but the closest school was OSU and I wasn’t about to go there.”

Bergey’s mother, Jennifer Bergey, trained horses professionally and taught her how to ride when she was 5 years old.

“Laura probably spent as much time in the barns with me and the horses as she did at home,” Jennifer Bergey said. “We taught her how to ride on a little grey pony named Rosie.”

Bergey’s dreams and her horse have gotten much larger. She is now riding a chestnut thoroughbred that stands 17 hands high, weighs close to 15,000 pounds, named Toby.

“Toby’s back is about 5-foot-6, he used to be a racehorse, his legs are really long,” Bergey said. “We do high adult jumpers so the fences are between 3-foot-6 and 3-foot-9 inches tall.”

Bergey said that training for a show is a lot like training for a sporting event.

“I have to keep my horse in shape and myself in shape,” Bergey said. “People think the horse does all the work but it’s a team effort. I have to steer him and show him where to go but I also have to control the speed and distance of his stride and find the spot to jump. If I don’t control him he’ll just gallop full speed and it’ll be a disaster.”

Bergey said she’s gotten used to disasters and that falling was one of the things she had to accept when she decided to become serious about riding. When she falls, Bergey said she gets mad at herself instead of the horse and focuses on how she can improve.

According to the National Collegiate Equestrian Association, collegiate athletes jump between 3 feet and 3 feet 6 inches. In the Olympics, athletes are jumping between 4 feet 7 inches and 5 feet 3 inches.

“I’m glad I compete individually because I’m already competing at a higher level than college athletes,” Bergey said. “The highest I’ve jumped is 4-foot-6.

“After college I want to turn pro. My goal isn’t necessarily the Olympics but I’d like to compete in Grand Prix events. Those shows are in pretty high paying classes. I’d love to be able to make a living out of this.”

Blog 5 Slide Show--Laura Bergey

Laura Bergey competes individually in equestrian horseback riding. She rides her thoroughbred, Toby, every other day on her parent's land in Norman.

Midterm Slide Show-Jonny Schank

Jonathon Schanke played at the Deli on the first Wednesday of every month at open mic night. He plays two cover songs and two that he wrote.

Midterm-Jonny Schank

The sky is the limit for Jonathon Schanke; at age 4 he laced up his first pair of hockey skates, at age 14 he taught himself to play the guitar and at age 21 he piloted his first plane.

Today Schanke is playing center for the University of Oklahoma hockey team, playing live at the Deli on Campus Corner and working towards his pilot license.

“Of the three, I get the most nervous before hockey games,” Schanke said. “This is my last year playing competitive ice hockey so just trying to take it all in. I don’t let myself get nervous before I fly and I think of playing the guitar as a fun event. It’s exciting I like to make peoples’ ears happy. A couple whiskey and cokes help me get in the zone.”

Schanke plays on the first Wednesday of every month when the Deli has open mic night. He has played there four times.

“At the Deli I play two songs that I wrote myself,” Schanke said. “Next month my brother Joel will be up there playing bass with me.

The Schanke brothers grew up playing hockey and the guitar together in Wallingford, CN.

“I’m excited to be on stage with my brother,” Joel Schanke said. “I’m a little nervous, but not as nervous as I’ll be the first time he flies me around.”

OU’s aviation program flies out of the Max Westheimer Airport where Schanke flies single-engine Piper Warrior planes.

“My first flight was like drinking water out of a fire house,” Schanke said. “It was the first time I’d ever been in a plane there was so much going on I didn’t know what to think. But it’s gotten a lot easier, I soloed for the first time in September.”

(SLIDESHOW, Emma Kittle, 1:35)

Sense of Place Slideshow

Fitness One is located at 2301 36 Ave. Northwest, Norman, OK. The fitness club offers personal trainers, tanning and spray tan services, TRX and Zumba classes, a fruit smoothie bar and sports supplements. 

Blog 4 Photo

Darrell Boldon plays forward for the University of Oklahoma hockey club team. The Sooners next home game is November 1.

Blog 4 Audio

Darrel Boldon talks about people in the South being as friendly as they are back home in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Boldon has been living in Norman since August. 

Blog 4 Darrell Boldon

Although he may be out of his element, one Canadian is taking advantage of what the University of Oklahoma has to offer on the rink and in the classroom.

On Aug. 11 22-year-old Darrell Boldon left his home in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and started a three-day road trip to Norman, OK.

“I came to OU for the hockey team and energy management program,” Boldon said. “Back home in Alberta the oil and gas is really big so I figured why not go to school where I can get into both.”

Boldon plays forward for the fourth ranked Sooner hockey team. This weekend the team went 2-1 at the American Collegiate Hockey Association D1 Showcase in Springfield, Ill.

“Darrell’s been playing really well this year,” teammate and roommate Nick Holmes said. “This weekend he scored three goals in three games. I’d say he’s one of the better players on our team.”

Boldon began skating when he was 4 years old and has been playing hockey since he was 5. In high school he also played soccer volleyball and skied competitively. He said the things he misses most about Canada are the mountains, the snow and the cold weather.

According to WeatherSpark.com, the average snowfall in Calgary is 53 inches and the temperature varies between 7 and 74 degrees Fahrenheit. In Norman, the average snowfall is 7 inches and the temperature is between 30 and 96 degrees Fahrenheit.

“I miss being cold,” Boldon said. “The cold front this weekend was awesome. I’m hoping we get some snow soon.”

Boldon said the transition moving from Canada to Norman has not been difficult. He said the friendly nature of people in the South reminds him of people back home.

“Besides his accent, the biggest difference with Darrell is that he doesn’t care about football, which is hard to do when you go to OU,” roommate Joel Schanke said. “Canada’s sports culture is completely different than ours down here in Norman. They even have a picture of people playing hockey on their five dollar bill.”

 “The football down here is like the hockey back home,” Boldon said. “In Canada, hockey is praised like football is praised here. Everything revolves around hockey. When the Flames made their Stanley Cup run the whole city was behind them. It was crazy, like it would be here for the Sooners.”