Catching Up With ...
          Gymnast-turned circus performer Kai Tindall (June 12)
          SPU's coaching dads (June 19)
          Basketball player and Utah women's coach Lynne Roberts (June 26)


By MARK MOSCHETTI
SPU Sports Information
 
HOPKINS, Minn. – He's no longer here for her to talk to face-to-face. But there are moments when Katie Degner still takes some time to say something to her father.
                                                                                                                   
Even if it's just a simple, "Thanks, Dad."
 
The man whose sudden passing just two weeks before Degner began her senior year of studying and rowing at Seattle Pacific is the one who spiritually summoned her to his home state of Minnesota. It was in that state where she found a job in a physical therapy center. It was in that job where Degner discovered an interest in orthotics and prosthetics.

 

It was that interest that put her on track toward a fulfilling career of helping others.
 
"They say you know where you're supposed to be when everything falls into place," Degner said. "That really rings true."
 
The 2010 SPU graduate with a degree in exercise science has just finished two years of study toward her master of science in orthotics and prosthetics at Century College in White Bear Lake, Minn. Now, she is taking more master's classes at Concordia University in St. Paul, to be followed by a two-year residency – one year for orthotics, one for prosthetics.
 
"It's a whole lot of school, but I love school," said the 27-year-old Degner, who also is working as a research and development technician for a company that makes components and joints for orthotic devices. "Studying is fun."
 
FROM ROAD TRIP TO NEW HOME
A native of the Portland suburb of Hillsboro, Degner actually began her four-year stay at Seattle Pacific as a gymnast in 2006.
 
On the first day of practice as a freshman, she ruptured a ligament in her elbow. Though not by her own choice, her career in that sport was effectively finished, even after having the elbow surgically repaired. She turned to rowing and fit right into coach Keith Jefferson's successful program.
 
But in the summer of 2009, with one final year of classwork and competition looming, Degner's father, Mark, died of stomach cancer, just four weeks after the initial diagnosis.
 
"During that senior year, I was going through a lot of transition, and a lot of emotions," Degner said.
 
As she gradually came to grips with it, an idea took root.
 
It turned out to be a life changer.
 
"I determined that I would take a road trip after I graduated and see what Minnesota was like and kind of get to know my father's roots better," said Degner, who has become closer with her two aunts and has connected with a couple of cousins, as well. "I loved the area immediately."

 

She settled in Hopkins, about 11 miles southwest of Minneapolis, then landed a job at a physical therapy center and took a serious interest in orthotics and prosthetics.
 
"That's where I really found my calling," she said. "It brings together hands-on craft and working with people who have challenges."
 
Degner actually had started to pave that particular career path while she was at SPU – though she didn't necessarily know it at the time. She had a job at a facility in Redmond that offers therapy for people with spinal cord injuries or traumatic injuries to the nervous system. (The latter group includes those who are dealing with multiple sclerosis or who have suffered a stroke.)
 
"I loved working with that population," she said. "It was a little rough on my body doing all the lifting of my clients, and I have a sensitive back to begin with. So I wanted to figure out how to continue working with that population and not hurt myself in the process."
 
DOING D.C.
Suffice to say she has figured it out. But she also has figured out that "working with that population" doesn't have to be limited to the lab. Some things require stepping out of that environment – and even stepping out of one's comfort zone.

 

In May, Degner did precisely that when she was sponsored by the American Orthotics and Prosthetics Association to go to Washington, D.C., and present legislative proposals advocating for patients' rights and veterans' rights.
 
"I always pictured D.C. to be a little bit intimidating with the politics involved," she said. "But it was so neat to walk the halls of Congress and talk to different legislators. And they really are genuinely interested in what you have to say."
 
Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-Minn.) was interested enough that he signed onto a letter from Degner's group to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services regarding off-the-shelf orthotics and a rule about licensing and certification requirements for orthotics and prosthetics.
 
So while hands-on work in that field is still her passion, Degner says she can see returning to D.C. in the future as issues present themselves.
 
"The intimidation factor is no longer there," she said. "I really felt in my element being there."
 
IN HER ELEMENT AT SPU, TOO
Degner credits her four years at Seattle Pacific with helping her find a certain feeling of comfort among the nation's power brokers.
 
"What comes to my mind when I think of my time at SPU was the strength in the communities there," she said. "I could say I learned my own voice at SPU and learned to be confident and engage in conversation and make things happen."
 
One of those conversations here that involved making things happen was with rowing coach Jefferson when Degner found herself looking for another sport in place of gymnastics.
                                                                                                                          
"I was a little bit skeptical because I can't swim," she said with a laugh. "But after talking with Keith and learning a little more about what kind of characteristics it takes to row, I thought it was a good fit.
                                                                                                                         
"Boy, was he right, and boy, was I right," added Degner, the varsity eight stroke on the 2010 SPU team that captured the NCAA second-place team trophy. "Being part of that team changed my life. What I felt with the coaching staff and the team, I still think about on a daily basis."
 
Jefferson was delighted to have her. In three seasons, he saw Degner not only grow as a rower, but persevere through a serious medical disorder in her left leg that required major surgery after her junior year. (Click on this link to read more of that story.)
 
"She just turned out to be a dynamo, not just physically, but as a quality leader," he said. "We're just so glad she found crew. … She was an incredible asset to the program."
 
In fact, it was the rowing team that helped Degner through the grieving process.
 
"We rowed that year at WIRA (the 2010 Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association regatta). There was a song playing overhead ("Kryptonite" by 3 Doors Down) that reminded me of my dad," Degner recalled. "I kind of started breaking down before the race, which is not a good time.
 
"But my team really built me up," she said. "We wrote "Dad" and "Mad Dog" (a nickname Degner and her father shared) on our arms. We dedicated that race to him and to celebrating life. I'll never forget the feeling of that race at WIRA."
 
Added Jefferson, "Just everything about (losing her father) was unbelievably tough. God brought her to us at the right time, and we were all so incredibly thankful."

 

So she hadn't planned on rowing … hadn't planned on moving to Minnesota … and hadn't planned on a becoming a specialist in orthotics and prosthetics.
 
Now, Degner can't imagine it any other way.
 
"I love the challenge of problem-solving," she said. "Seeing a case and figuring out how to control their ailments, help their range of motion, and provide them with the ability to do what they want to do – and keep them safe at the same time – I find quite rewarding."
 
Although she can't speak to him in person about where life has led her – "Every once in a while, I go to reach for the phone when I want to call him and tell him something I did" – her dad no doubt would be proud.
 
And Katie Degner is forever thankful.