Palisade Junior, Riley O’hara, is the Female Athlete of the Week brought to you by Palisade Dino Mart. O’hara is a two-sport athlete in swimming during the winter and track during the spring. O’hara swims through Grand Junction High School where she has been on the team for two years now. “One of my friends was telling me how fun swimming is and I thought it would be fun to try something new.”
O’hara has grown within the sport, meeting new goals and achieving standards. “My greatest accomplishment is how much my times have improved and how I have learned to manage my nerves at meets a lot better than before.” Other than learning how to manage her nerves, O’hara has also learned how to appreciate the challenges placed before her. “My favorite thing about swim is how rewarding it is after you finish a race or a hard practice and how strong it makes me feel.”
Coach Jenn, the head coach for the Grand Junction HS Swim and Dive team appreciates O’hara and her hard work ethic that she brings to practices and meets.
“I wouldn’t say that she has one defined accomplishment that stands out above all, however, she has the kind of team spirit and attitude that makes even the smallest accomplishment seem big. She has improved all of her individual events by significant numbers since last year and her times continue to drop. That has been very impressive to watch. She sets a very good example to her teammates where motivation and resilience are concerned. If she misses a practice, she asks for the workout and makes the time to practice on her own. She is definitely a light on our team.”
O’hara’s hard work ethic and determination to push forward is an inspiration to her teammates, peers, friends and family. Congratulations Riley O’hara for receiving Athlete of the Week!
