Wednesday, June 22, 2022
Dream On
Boggs achieved goals at OSU
Daniel Allen Staff Reporter
Le Cowboy Baptiste, a French OSU sports fan, began following the Cowboys from an unlikely connection.
Abby Smith
French OSU fan finding love in US college sports PJ Tikalsky Staff Reporter
connection to the university, it would take him several years to discover Cowboy Displayed in the athletics, but when he corner of a densely did, standout basketball packed bookshelf player Marcus Smart sits a pristine white was there to lead the Oklahoma State way. Cowboys football After watching helmet. French basketball icons From across the like Tony Parker in the Atlantic Ocean, his NBA, Baptiste found Twitter account, “Le himself searching for Cowboy Solitaire,” something different has been covering all after watching Parker’s things OSU sports for San Antonio Spurs French fans since 2016. win the 2014 NBA Baptiste, a junior high Finals. He started with school administrator any college basketball from Valence, a city in game that would be southeastern France, on national TV, before boasts an unlikely tie to Smart finally brought the university. his eye back to OSU. Baptiste’s “Smart was a association with OSU huge prospect at that dates to several years time,” Bapiste said. earlier, when his sister “That [2014] draft began a study abroad class with Smart, program in Stillwater. Jabari Parker, Andrew “She had to spend Wiggins, and Joel one year in the US and Embiid was super she picked Oklahoma hyped even in the State,” Baptiste said. french media.” “She went there in 2009 Baptiste’s interest and never really came in American football back.” would also be piqued From this first in 2014. After viewing
assorted games that aired once weekly on french TV, his first full season following Cowboy football began in 2015 after spending much of the offseason learning about the sport itself. Less than a year later, he started “Le Cowboy Solitaire,” joining a small but tight-knit community of french Twitter accounts following American college sports. Upon creating the account, Baptiste recalls there were only around 10 french fan accounts covering various universities. Now, the community has reached almost 60 different pages. “More people are watching college football as the NFL grows in popularity in Europe,’’ Baptiste said. “You can feel the passion was not the same three or four years ago, and the TV ratings have been pretty good.” In 2019, he started a college football
podcast with the owners of two other fan accounts called “The Trick Play,” whose Twitter page has now garnered over 1,800 followers, and features hundreds of viewers on some broadcasts. Along with connecting with fellow French college sports fans, Baptiste has been able to become more involved with the OSU fan base online. Since joining the Cowboy fan base himself, he has enjoyed some of his favorite moments in sports, from the 2018 men’s basketball win over OU, to 2021’s Fiesta Bowl victory over Notre Dame. When asked about his favorite part of the OSU community, he says; “It’s the kindness of the people when they figure out I am a French OSU fan. They are really interested in my story and they want to know why I am so passionate about it.” sports.ed@ocolly.com
For as long as she can remember, Lora Boggs has always dreamed big. Since a very young age, Boggs carried a simple life philosophy with her. “All dreams do come true.” From appearances in Instagram and Twitter captions, to writing her graduate admissions essay on it, dreaming big has been something that has carried her through even the toughest of times. “Lora (Boggs) has always thought outside of the box,” Natalie Evans, a close friend of Boggs’, said. “She always, as she puts it, dreams big. It captures her demeanor perfectly, I think it makes her stand out in a good way.” This life philosophy she holds close to her, started with a simple conversation with her father, James. Boggs had held a tennis racket in her hands for as long as she can remember. She grew up with the dream of playing college tennis. However, academics were a primary focus for her. This resulted in little-to-no participation in prospect camps or showcases and a lack of exposure early on in her tennis career. Eager to play at the next level, she sought advice from her dad. “I always grew up wanting to be a Cowgirl,” Boggs said. “I’d been invested in tennis for most of my life, it’s almost all I knew (in sports). So, I told my dad that I wanted to be a Cowgirl, and he gave me an honest and truthful answer saying if I wanted to play in Stillwater then I had to put myself out there and play in more tournaments.” In an attempt to fulfill her dream, Boggs spent countless days at camps and out of state showcases. She did everything in her power to put her name out in the open, hoping to become noticed and earn an opportunity to continue her tennis career beyond high school. Boggs received offers from notable in-state Division 2 programs and junior college programs. But not from her dream school, Oklahoma State. “I basically compared them all to Oklahoma State,” Boggs said. “As much as I had dreamed about playing tennis at the next level, Oklahoma State was my home. Deep down, OSU was the only place I had ever wanted to go.” Boggs attended Cowgirl tennis matches for most of her life. Cowgirl tennis head coach Chris Young always noticed Boggs in the stands. A quiet, yet, extroverted young girl with a smile on her face, was always excited to talk to Young. “Every time I spoke with Lora it would bring a smile to my face,” Young said. “She’s such an easy person to talk to. She’s so outgoing and funloving.”
Boggs’ consistent attendance for the Cowgirls had already left a notable first impression on Young. So, when she came to Young with hopes of convincing him to give her a shot on the team, he was more lenient than she had originally anticipated. “I remember I was sobbing,” Boggs said. “I just told him then and there that I really wanted to be part of the team in college and I would do anything to make that happen.” Young, understanding of what a spot on the team meant to her, gave Boggs an option to join the program as a walk-on. “I told her I’d be happy to have her,” Young said. “I also explained that she needed to understand her role on the team and embrace it. That was honestly one of the main focuses of what we talked about. I was more than willing to let her on, but it was a matter of us being on the same page, and of course, we were.” Still, she understood the role of a walk on. She wouldn’t receive a significant amount of playing time or receive anywhere near the amount of practice reps that the average scholarship player would. Boggs joined Kappa Alpha Theta sorority while balancing the workload of being a student-athlete. “I think the stress was outweighed by the fun honestly,” Boggs said. “All it took was communication. My sisters understood, Chris (Young) understood, everyone did. I communicated well with everyone which allowed me to be able to do all of that.” To Boggs, Kappa Alpha Theta is more than just a sorority, it’s a family. Boggs says her sorority sisters went a long way in helping her discover her true identity and become the best version of herself, something that she admitted she struggled for for a large portion of her life. In 2020, aided by injuries and COVID-19 issues, Boggs earned regular season playing time. “I remember being so timid initially,” Boggs said. “But my (Kappa Alpha Theta) sorority sisters showed up, a large crowd of them, and supported me. My parents were there. Chris (Young) and my teammates were so vocal and encouraging to walkon, seeing her first moments of action. It was a special moment for me.” As Boggs’ time on the tennis team comes to an end, she can’t help but look back at the younger version of herself. “For me it was a matter of who I wanted to be in college,” Boggs said. “I’d always ask myself who I was, who wanted to be, and what I wanted to be known for. I think that my sisters at (Kappa Alpha Theta) have been incredibly encouraging in assisting me in finding myself. Joining Kappa Alpha Theta was one of the best decisions of my life, joining the Cowgirl tennis team was one of the best decisions of my life, and I’m so grateful for all of those wonderful people in my life.” sports.ed@ocolly.com