Derrick Tuskan

Some people are morning people.

And then there’s San Diego State senior rower Nancy Balt.

In a sport where practices begin at 5 a.m. – a time of the day unknown to many people – you need a person such as Balt. She’s a pure extrovert with more energy than a triple shot of espresso.

While many rowers are still wiping sleep from their eyes, Balt is shouting encouragements and getting the team ready to go.

“I think the more positive people are around you, the more contagious it is,” Balt said. “It has to stem from someone. Whenever I get up, I’m in a great mood.”

Balt lives in a house with three other SDSU rowers. Not surprisingly, she’s the first to rise and shine. Balt is up at 4 a.m., making breakfast and trying to get her teammates up.

“(In the morning) she’s up jumping around and getting excited,” senior rower Katie Heisinger said. “It really lightens up the mood.”

While her zeal is appreciated, sometimes her teammates look for the snooze button on the alarm clock that is Balt.

“A lot of times when we wake up from a nap, we need time to adjust and she’s just ready to go,” senior rower Kaitlin Drake said. “Sometimes we’ve got to say, ‘Just give me a couple more minutes, I’ll be up.'”

Balt’s positive energy affects more than just her housemates. She said she loves to interact with the freshmen and the younger rowers in the crew program. She works to make sure that the novice rowers don’t feel a gap between themselves and the varsity squad.

“She’s really cool with all the new girls and helps them feel comfortable and fit in,” Heisinger said. “She’s reached out to a lot of them, and that’s a big help.”

Sometimes, though, Balt needs that energy to help herself. Earlier this year, she suffered a stress fracture in her right foot. Not wanting to let the team down, she participated in the final two events of the year before seeking treatment.

Head coach Jennifer Zebronski was amazed that Balt was eager to compete even with just one good foot.

“(Nancy) is dedicated to her sport and dedicated to her teammates,” Zebronski said. “She would really do so much and sacrifice so much for us, and that’s why she’s one of our co-captains today.”

After Balt had surgery on her foot, she had to do something that for her is practically impossible – stay in bed for a month. Accustomed to an active life style, she said she felt like a rower without an oar while waiting for her foot to heal.

“It was difficult going from working out 30 hours a week to being bedrested,” Balt said. “It’s hard going from being an athlete and being independent to having to have someone help you with everything. It taught me that sports can’t be all that I rely on. (Walking) is something that, as athletes, we take for granted.

“But it also made me love and appreciate my sport even more. The day I got back in the water was the best day in my life.”

Now that she’s back on her feet, Balt is ready for anything. She’s helping the Aztecs get ready for their spring season however she can.

Just like morning coffee.