Kara Rohlf, track

Kara Rohlf will carry on a family tradition by attending Point Park University, but will also carry on a legacy by running cross country and track for the Pioneers.
Rohlf, a daughter of Tricia and Michael Rohlf of Brownsville, has two siblings, Point Park graduate Jonathan Rohlf and Point Park student Lexi Rohlf. She carries a 4.0 GPA as a senior at Brownsville High School and will be a business major at Point Park.
She also is Brownsville’s spring sports female selection in the Centennial Chevrolet Scholar/Athlete Spotlight program. She runs for Brownsville’s track team.
“I also run cross country in the fall, so I run the distances, 1,600 and 3,200, as well as the 4×800 relay team,” she said. “I actually signed a contract with Point Park University to run cross country and track.”
Rohlf plans to turn her favorite high school class into a college major in business.
“I plan to study business there. I really enjoy our entrepreneur classes. I won a competition last year in Pittsburgh and got pretty far with that going to the national entrepreneurship competition in October in the Silicon Valley area of San Francisco,” she said. “I’d love to get involved with Nike or Reebok or a company like that because I am an athlete and I think I would totally enjoy being a sponsor for big athletes or a manager. I would love to get involved with big sports companies like that.” She also chose Point Park because “I wanted to go to Pittsburgh for the countless job opportunities they have there, plus I love the big city atmosphere.”
Her long-range goals reach well beyond the scope of big business, however. She would like to train for and eventually participate in a triathlon.
“If we had a swim team (at Brownsville), I would have gladly joined that. I just cross train during the winter, plus I would like to try a triathlon,” she said. “Once I get out of college that’s my next goal. I’ve been working on all edges of that. I just need to get a bike and I’ll be all set to go.”
Her ambitious approach to life and sports come honestly to her. Anytime she needs encouragement, she needs only to look toward her grandfather, Ed Gursky, who happens to be Brownsville’s distance running coach.
“My grandfather has probably had the greatest influence on my as an athlete,” she said. “He used to be a marathoner. The last marathon he ever ran was the Boston Marathon and he qualified for it on a whim. That was before his knee gave out and he wasn’t able to run anymore. He’s actually coaching the track team now, he’s our distance coach. He’s a great coach. It’s awesome to see. I don’t get it any easier than anybody else, I really don’t. In fact, I probably get it 20 times worse. He loves it and it’s a great pastime for him in the spring. He just loves it and it’s one of the things that inspires me to keep running.”
In fact, her grandfather’s love of running helps Rohlf keep her priorities in perspective.
“My running career, to me, is not about the medals,” she said. “For me, it’s a lifestyle. It’s a nice touch to be a competitor, but it comes with a mutual respect. People don’t realize all of the work that goes into it. They automatically say they got this because of that, but that’s not necessarily true. Running is a lifestyle. You have to breathe it and you have to want it to be able to do it. That’s what is important to me is going out in all four seasons and being able to enjoy everything that is around you.”