All things being equine, Buffalo Grove's Woodsum's a winner

Buffalo Grove's Kim Woodsum in on her way to an equestrian scholarship from Baylor University.

Horsing around is not supposed to be the right course toward a Division I athletic scholarship.

Buffalo Grove senior Kim Woodsum found it was a perfect way to follow the path of her brother Mark. He was a workhorse high school fullback and is now a redshirt sophomore at Northwestern.

''I always thought it would be cool with my brother getting a scholarship,'' Kim said. ''I thought, 'Yeah, I want to get a scholarship.'

''At first I was a little disappointed it wasn't a full ride, but I understand all the aspects of horseback riding.''

A ride for horseback riding? That's what Woodsum will be getting to attend Baylor University, which is one of 23 schools in the country to give equestrian scholarships for what is classified as an NCAA emerging sport.

Woodsum has always been interested in riding horses since she was younger. She would go horseback riding on family vacations.

But parents Melody and Greg, who was a star running back for Glenbrook North's 1974 Class 5A state championship team, wanted Kim to wait until she was old enough to appreciate it before taking bigger strides in the sport.

''I handed her a park district brochure when she was 9 years old and said, 'What do you want to do?' '' Melody said of Kim's decision to ride a horse of course in a six-week program. ''The next summer she said, 'Can I do this horseback-riding thing again?'

''Her trainer said she had kind of a knack for this and she kept doing it.''

Some of Kim Woodsum's friends may scoff at riding a horse being considered a sport. The proof is in a $4,600 scholarship that could increase depending on how successful she is at Baylor.

''Most of my friends are like, 'riding isn't a sport, you can really get a scholarship for it?' '' Woodsum said with a smile a couple of weeks ago between afternoon training sessions at Galway Farms in Long Grove. ''It's sparked some debates.''

But there is no debating how Woodsum feels about her chosen sport.

''It's weird,'' Woodsum said. ''I didn't think I'd become this attached to it but I love horseback riding.

''It's turned into my life.''

A big commitment

This isn't just a casual endeavor of getting on a horse a few times a week for Kim Woodsum. When her school day at Buffalo Grove is done at 2 p.m., she heads up to Galway Farms every day but Monday to train for nearly two hours.

On her ''day off'' she goes to ProSport for supplemental training with David Buchanan. Woodsum also runs and works out on her own.

It's all necessary to control of a 1,200-pound horse for a competition or ''show'' season that runs from December to September.

''The amount of leg strength and core strength needed,'' said Galway Farms barn manager Kimber DiTallo, ''is akin to some of the toughest sports we have.''

Even if it may look easy to the casual observer watching a rider and horse navigate a show course.

''The hardest part is it's so difficult,'' Woodsum said, ''and you have to make it look like it's one of the easiest things you have ever done and make the horse listen to you perfectly.

''When you look at it, it appears the rider is doing nothing ... but when I get off the horse I'm sweating and panting.''

Communication is also important as Woodsum uses her arms and legs to let the horse know when and where it's time to jump from.

Again, not exactly easy when it comes to dealing with a large animal.

''The horse doesn't even want to jump sometimes or know where to jump from,'' Woodsum said of going over gates 3 to 3½ feet high. ''There is a lot of split-second decision-making.''

Woodsum likes jumping because ''it's more of an adrenaline rush'' against the clock. The hunter portion, which is how precisely the horse runs, is left up to the eye of judges.

Woodsum usually competes in two weekend shows a month in June, July and August and once a month the rest of the show season.

She competes in multiple classes and is usually at the show grounds for 12 hours a day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

''It takes a lot out of me and I'm physically exhausted,'' Woodsum said. ''Naturally, after a good show, I'm really happy and on a high.

''A bad show takes a lot out of you. You think about all the hard work you've done and you go home and figure out what didn't get put together right and work on it.''

It's that competitive aspect Woodsum has loved since her first show at age 12.

''We all talk about once you get the horse-show bug ... you can't wait to get bit all the time,'' Woodsum said. ''For the two-month break it's like, 'Oh, man, what am I going to do.' I love horse-showing and traveling.

''It's a whole other feeling when you're out there in the ring and it's you and the horse and dead silence. It's such a rush when you get out there.''

It will be different when Woodsum gets out there for Baylor.

The jump to college

Two years ago, Kim Woodsum had no idea it was possible to get an equestrian scholarship. It was given emerging sport status by the NCAA in 1998 and is a balance for schools trying to meet Title IX requirements.

Melody and Greg Woodsum passed on to Kim what they used for Mark, who initially walked on at Northwestern. They sent tapes and contacted coaches.

Baylor is in its third year as a Division I program under head coach Ellen White. She said video is a standard recruiting start.

''It's not like football or basketball where you can go to one location and see a lot of people,'' White said. ''If you go to a horse competition, you don't know if the girls are of (college) age or interested. It's a lot easier when they kind of find us.''

Woodsum has relatives in Texas and felt comfortable after her family met with White at Baylor.

''I've always been a Texas girl at heart,'' Woodsum said. I've always had cowboy boots and cowboy hats.

''I feel like a country girl in the suburbs and that's what intrigued me. Baylor is a beautiful campus and it had everything. I felt like this is where I belong.''

White has to split 15 full scholarships amongst 60 riders. As with any sport, the key is determining who can be major contributors.

''I go for certain riders like Kim who I expect to be one of our show riders,'' White said.

The big difference is college equestrian is a team sport.

While Woodsum has owned her own horse for six years, college competition is a level playing field.

Colleges have their own horses for competition. Riders draw a horse out of a hat and have a four-minute warmup to learn as much as possible about the horse.

''Sometimes people make it look so easy on tape," White said, "and you bring them into this format and it can be very intimidating.''

Woodsum's background as a travel soccer player should help with the team aspect. The straight-A student ranked in the top three percent of her class with a 29 ACT said she has the ability to memorize a course after looking at it once.

''It tests a lot more of your skill as a rider,'' Woodsum said of the college format. ''The person you're competing against (who rides the same horse), it's whoever get the higher score.

''(Now) if you mess up you're just letting yourself down. In this, if you mess up you let the team down.''

Woodsum said she is considering studying math at Baylor. This year she also played the role of Kate in BG's fall play ''Brighton Beach Memoirs.''

And she is considering eventually becoming a professional rider and training people for a living.

"It's something that's always going to be in my life," Woodsum said.

In ways she never could have imagined nearly 10 years ago.