Photo by: Erik Dresser/Oregon State Athletics
Olympics Lead to Unforgettable Experience for Karz
December 07, 2016 | Women's Rowing
Surreal, incredible and awesome aptly describe the feelings of former Oregon State rower Devery Karz while recalling her experiences as a competitor at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, and her subsequent trip to the White House with her fellow Olympians.
"It was pretty incredible," said Karz, a 2009-11 OSU letter winner who teamed with crewmate Kathleen Bertko to take 10th place overall in the women's lightweight double sculls (LW2x) this past August.
"To be cliché, words can't really describe what the Olympic experience is like," she added, speaking last month at the OSU women's crew team's Alumni Weekend in
Corvallis. "But it is an amazing feeling to know that you are one of the best women in the world in your specialty.
"Even the person who finishes dead last at the Olympics is still in the top-one percentile of athletics. So it was a pretty cool feeling to be surrounded by women like that."
Karz and Bertko took fourth place in the B Final of the women's lightweight double sculls (LW2x) on Aug. 12. Their overall experience was more memorable and more meaningful than their finish, however.
"The racing with my doubles partner was incredible, especially since we'd only rowed together for six months at the time," she said. "We did a good job of coming together under adverse circumstances.
"And the racing was awesome."
Karz and the rest of the 2016 U.S. Olympic team visited the White House on Sept. 29. They were honored by President Barak Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and Vice President Joe Biden in a ceremony in the historic East Room.
The President told more than 600 members of the team that he admired their athleticism, character and diversity.
"Remember that you know when someone's watching you for the first time, and they see how hard you work, and what you accomplish, and they feel inspired," he said. "They feel like they can take any challenge on.
"What you do has ripples all across the country. Imagine what it means for a young girl or a young boy who sees somebody who looks like them doing something and being the best at what they do.
"There's no kid in America who can't look at our Olympic team and see themselves somewhere. That's part of the reason why we're successful."
He also singled out the Olympic women for their accomplishments, saying "2016 belonged to America's women Olympians.
"Y'all crushed it."
Karz called the White House visit "surreal."
"It was super-cool," she added. "I feel as if I blacked out when I met Obama, but I got a hug from both Obama and Michelle. She is awesome.
"My teammate on my left was losing herself, she was bawling hysterically, so it was so surreal I didn't know what was happening.
"It all happened so fast, I was like, "Did that happen? Did I get a hug from Obama?' I was so glad I got to do that while he was in the White House."
Karz and Bertko were an unlikely pair. She trained extensively with another rower heading into the Olympic Trials this past April before teaming up with Bertko during the qualifying races to earn a spot on the Olympic team.
"It is a pretty incredible feeling," she said at the time. "Putting four years into a goal and having it all come to a head on one day, it's a big moment.
"Qualifying the boat was extremely challenging. The level at the qualification regatta is so incredibly high. It was extremely gratifying to succeed in progressing the LW2x to the Olympics for USA."
Karz became the second OSU women's rower to compete in the Olympics. Amy Martin placed sixth in the Women's 8 at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
Karz grew up in Park City, Utah; Martin is from Sherman County, Ore. Neither had rowed before discovering the sport at OSU.
"Amy Martin and I were given a chance at something with the Oregon State women's rowing program," Karz said. "It was hard work and determination that got us to the Olympic level, but I may have never made it there if OSU rowing hadn't given me a place to start.
"I owe a lot to the coaches, teammates and school for giving me an environment to start striving for something big."
Karz earned Most Valuable Oarswoman honors her senior season. As a sophomore, she helped the Varsity 8 take third place at the 2009 Pac-10 Championships; that crew qualified for the NCAA Championships and placed 18th at the national championship regatta.
She graduated in 2011 with a degree in speech communication, with minors in Spanish and Chinese. She earned Pac-10 All-Academic honors as a sophomore, junior and senior.
She had not been back to Oregon since 2012, so she was excited to return and to see some familiar faces, and all the changes to the program.
"Every time something was happening with OSU rowing, something was going on with the U.S. National Team that I couldn't miss," she said. "Everything that happens with the National Team is on the East Coast.
"So it's exciting to be back, to see the coaches and the facilities and to see how [the program] is growing."
"It was pretty incredible," said Karz, a 2009-11 OSU letter winner who teamed with crewmate Kathleen Bertko to take 10th place overall in the women's lightweight double sculls (LW2x) this past August.
"To be cliché, words can't really describe what the Olympic experience is like," she added, speaking last month at the OSU women's crew team's Alumni Weekend in
Corvallis. "But it is an amazing feeling to know that you are one of the best women in the world in your specialty.
"Even the person who finishes dead last at the Olympics is still in the top-one percentile of athletics. So it was a pretty cool feeling to be surrounded by women like that."
Karz and Bertko took fourth place in the B Final of the women's lightweight double sculls (LW2x) on Aug. 12. Their overall experience was more memorable and more meaningful than their finish, however.
"The racing with my doubles partner was incredible, especially since we'd only rowed together for six months at the time," she said. "We did a good job of coming together under adverse circumstances.
"And the racing was awesome."
Karz and the rest of the 2016 U.S. Olympic team visited the White House on Sept. 29. They were honored by President Barak Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and Vice President Joe Biden in a ceremony in the historic East Room.
The President told more than 600 members of the team that he admired their athleticism, character and diversity.
"Remember that you know when someone's watching you for the first time, and they see how hard you work, and what you accomplish, and they feel inspired," he said. "They feel like they can take any challenge on.
"What you do has ripples all across the country. Imagine what it means for a young girl or a young boy who sees somebody who looks like them doing something and being the best at what they do.
"There's no kid in America who can't look at our Olympic team and see themselves somewhere. That's part of the reason why we're successful."
He also singled out the Olympic women for their accomplishments, saying "2016 belonged to America's women Olympians.
"Y'all crushed it."
Karz called the White House visit "surreal."
"It was super-cool," she added. "I feel as if I blacked out when I met Obama, but I got a hug from both Obama and Michelle. She is awesome.
"My teammate on my left was losing herself, she was bawling hysterically, so it was so surreal I didn't know what was happening.
"It all happened so fast, I was like, "Did that happen? Did I get a hug from Obama?' I was so glad I got to do that while he was in the White House."
Karz and Bertko were an unlikely pair. She trained extensively with another rower heading into the Olympic Trials this past April before teaming up with Bertko during the qualifying races to earn a spot on the Olympic team.
"It is a pretty incredible feeling," she said at the time. "Putting four years into a goal and having it all come to a head on one day, it's a big moment.
"Qualifying the boat was extremely challenging. The level at the qualification regatta is so incredibly high. It was extremely gratifying to succeed in progressing the LW2x to the Olympics for USA."
Karz became the second OSU women's rower to compete in the Olympics. Amy Martin placed sixth in the Women's 8 at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
Karz grew up in Park City, Utah; Martin is from Sherman County, Ore. Neither had rowed before discovering the sport at OSU.
"Amy Martin and I were given a chance at something with the Oregon State women's rowing program," Karz said. "It was hard work and determination that got us to the Olympic level, but I may have never made it there if OSU rowing hadn't given me a place to start.
"I owe a lot to the coaches, teammates and school for giving me an environment to start striving for something big."
Karz earned Most Valuable Oarswoman honors her senior season. As a sophomore, she helped the Varsity 8 take third place at the 2009 Pac-10 Championships; that crew qualified for the NCAA Championships and placed 18th at the national championship regatta.
She graduated in 2011 with a degree in speech communication, with minors in Spanish and Chinese. She earned Pac-10 All-Academic honors as a sophomore, junior and senior.
She had not been back to Oregon since 2012, so she was excited to return and to see some familiar faces, and all the changes to the program.
"Every time something was happening with OSU rowing, something was going on with the U.S. National Team that I couldn't miss," she said. "Everything that happens with the National Team is on the East Coast.
"So it's exciting to be back, to see the coaches and the facilities and to see how [the program] is growing."
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