Spring Break
Wonder Woman Piro makes time stand still
Senior D'Anna Piro competes for OSU on bars, will attend Stanford Business School
Casey Grogan
Issue date: 3/4/09 Section: Sports
A fifth-year senior at Oregon State this year, Piro began her gymnastics career here in 2005. During her redshirt season she was recognized for accomplishments in the classroom, and it was during her redshirt freshman season that Piro took to the bars in competition for the Beavers.
Piro had impressed the OSU coaching staff enough to earn her the alternate spot at the beginning of the season. Due to injuries, Piro was regularly part of the bars lineup, giving her a jump on securing a spot for the 2007 season as a regular part of the OSU bars rotation.
During the 2006 season Piro once again was recognized in the classroom, pocketing her second Scholastic All-American honor. Beginning 2007 in the competitive lineup, Piro received a rude greeting her redshirt sophomore season opener at the University of Florida. In Gainesville, Fla., Piro scored a 9.075, which would be her lowest score of the year as she went on to hit the next eight routines she completed during the season. Piro posted a 9.900 on the uneven parallel bars at Boise State, marking her career high on the apparatus.
"I love watching her on bars," junior Whitney Watson said. "If you work hard and keep going at it, you'll accomplish anything. She is really an inspiration."
The 2008 season proved, though, that Oregon State's Wonder Woman was not indestructible. After the 2007 season, Piro underwent surgery, putting her in a position in which becoming healthy enough to crack a lineup early in the season was nearly impossible. OSU sported a strong bars team, and with rehab as her first priority, Piro was once again forced to watch her team compete from the sidelines.
"Anytime you spend 20 hours a week doing something, it is hard when you are not out there," Piro said. "It is hard when you've had a role and had that role transform completely. Coming back from shoulder surgery was harder than I thought it was going to be. I had seen other people come back from surgery and I had come back from a surgery in high school. It seemed like it was easier for those people and that's partly because I was blind to their difficulties and needs."
Piro had impressed the OSU coaching staff enough to earn her the alternate spot at the beginning of the season. Due to injuries, Piro was regularly part of the bars lineup, giving her a jump on securing a spot for the 2007 season as a regular part of the OSU bars rotation.
During the 2006 season Piro once again was recognized in the classroom, pocketing her second Scholastic All-American honor. Beginning 2007 in the competitive lineup, Piro received a rude greeting her redshirt sophomore season opener at the University of Florida. In Gainesville, Fla., Piro scored a 9.075, which would be her lowest score of the year as she went on to hit the next eight routines she completed during the season. Piro posted a 9.900 on the uneven parallel bars at Boise State, marking her career high on the apparatus.
"I love watching her on bars," junior Whitney Watson said. "If you work hard and keep going at it, you'll accomplish anything. She is really an inspiration."
The 2008 season proved, though, that Oregon State's Wonder Woman was not indestructible. After the 2007 season, Piro underwent surgery, putting her in a position in which becoming healthy enough to crack a lineup early in the season was nearly impossible. OSU sported a strong bars team, and with rehab as her first priority, Piro was once again forced to watch her team compete from the sidelines.
"Anytime you spend 20 hours a week doing something, it is hard when you are not out there," Piro said. "It is hard when you've had a role and had that role transform completely. Coming back from shoulder surgery was harder than I thought it was going to be. I had seen other people come back from surgery and I had come back from a surgery in high school. It seemed like it was easier for those people and that's partly because I was blind to their difficulties and needs."
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