Sharing in the fun

There are no rabbit feet hanging in Kelsey Kahle’s locker.

There isn’t a certain song she must listen to before the start of every game.

She doesn’t wear the same pair of socks for each match-up, eat a spaghetti dinner the night before she plays or ritualistically fling chalk in the air just before taking the court.

Kahle doesn’t believe in complicating things.

“I’ve come to the conclusion that the best superstitions are the ones you don’t have,” Kahle said. “That way, you don’t have to worry about things going wrong.”

These days, things are going anything but wrong for Kahle, as her team is 4-0 in conference play and the senior forward is a mere 22 points away from breaking the school’s all-time record for career points (1,801) currently held by Laurie Northrup (1988-92).

And with every bucket inching her toward that historic mark, the brighter the spotlight seems to become.
Her coach, Sherri Murrell, who joined the organization for the 2007-08 campaign, knows that Kahle is not the sort of person who desires, or even relishes, a great deal of attention.

“There’s been a lot of pressure on Kelsey lately [because of the record],” Murrell told Vikings broadcaster Teri Mariani after Wednesday’s loss at UC Santa Barbara. “I said ‘Kelsey, have fun, and try to remember when you used to eat orange slices on the sidelines in grade school.'”

This piece of advice echoes another token of wisdom that Kahle has heard before just about every game of her collegiate career. In fact, listening to some familiar words before she laces up her shoes might be the closest thing she has to a pre-game ritual.

“I usually call my dad before games,” Kahle said. “He always says the same thing: ‘Have fun and don’t get hurt.'”

It was in the driveway with her dad where Kahle learned a lot of the skills that have helped her to succeed at Portland State. In fact, she attributes her killer instinct to growing up in a very competitive household.

“We can’t even play board games anymore,” she said, only halfway joking.

Even from a young age, Kahle was a talented athlete, but it wasn’t until high school that she really became serious about basketball. It was then that she realized that if she worked hard enough, it would pay off on the court.

Her play over the last three and half seasons as a Viking is a testament to that hard work, as she currently leads the team in points (16.7) and rebounding (5.9) per game.

In addition to her impressive career scoring tally, Kahle already holds four school records, including most free throws made and most 30-point games, and is within an arm’s length of five more, including field goals attempted and field goals made.

But despite her outstanding individual statistics and the fact that she is soon to be closing the book on an illustrious collegiate career, Kahle isn’t interested in the one-on-one game.

“I love the team aspect of basketball, opposed to track or tennis,” Kahle said. “Anyone who has watched us play this year knows that we share the ball. We experience everything together.”

One of the things the Vikings are experiencing together this year is the sensation of being targeted, perhaps for the first time in Kahle’s tenure at PSU.

Coming into the season the Vikings were ranked second in media and coaches polls behind only Montana.

Thus far the squad has played up to their expectations, going 11-6 in the first 17 games of the season, including jumping out to a 4-0 start to Big Sky action. But Kahle is keenly aware that the Vikings must consistently rise to their fiercest competition.

“Our biggest competitor is ourselves,” she said. “Teams bring their ‘A’ game every time they play us, so we have to bring ours as well.”

Between the heightened pressure that comes from being perched on the verge of several major individual milestones, and having rival schools taking aim at the target painted on the back of her jersey, it’s a wonder Kahle finds time to reflect on life outside the court.

But as she relaxes before suiting up against UC Santa Barbara on Wednesday night, she is planning her future living space.

“I love art. I love painting with watercolors, so my dream house would have a huge art studio right in the center of it.”