Carol Menken-Schaudt: RoadRunner, Beaver and USA Olympian

photo by Jarred Berger

Even rural towns hail extraordinary citizens, and small-town Oregon has one for the record books.

Carol Menken-Schaudt, Olympian and inductee to the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame, was raised in Jefferson but resides in Philomath. She still holds records for career field goal percentage, career double-doubles, points in a single game, and single season scoring average in women's basketball at Oregon State University.

Her achievements weren’t a straight shot, the path to the gold took plenty of picks and rolls. 

She planned to join the Navy following high school, but was told by a recruiter that due to a height restriction her 6-foot-4-inch frame was too tall. Plan B was to attend Linn-Benton Community College in Albany, Ore. She began as an ordinary student, pursuing a degree in graphic arts. She had no plans to become an athlete. 

Her height may not have suited the Navy, but it did suit basketball. She was asked to lend her lengthy limbs as a player on the first-ever women’s basketball team during the 1977-78 school year. After graduating LBCC, neighboring Oregon State University recognized her talent and offered her a partial scholarship to join the lady Beavers. 

“My journey as an athlete started at Linn-Benton but it became more than what I was just ‘doing’ at OSU,” she said.

Success continued to follow Menken-Schaudt. In her sophomore year, her talents landed her a full scholarship through her junior and senior year.

“Two of the three years I was at Oregon State we won our regional tournament by upsetting the Ducks in the finals,” she said.

At the time, the lady Beavers had never defeated their in-state rival from the University of Oregon during the regular season.

Her time at OSU changed the course of her life in more ways than one. While there, she met Ken Schaudt, the men’s basketball manager. They wed in 1982, just before one of the biggest highlights of her life — the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

“There are events in your life that are defining moments,” she said. ”The Olympics was definitely one of them. When you have a gold medal nothing is the same anymore. You are always viewed through that lens.”

Her journey to join the ranks of the world’s most elite athletes was made possible in part by her skills and in part by her timing.

During her senior year at OSU she tried out and was selected as part of the 1981 U.S. National Team. While on the National Team, an agent in Los Angeles contacted her with an offer to try out for the Italian Women's League after a recent change allowed one foreign player per team. Of the 16 teams in the league, Menken-Schaudt was chosen for one of them. She went on to play for six years. 

As a player on the 1983 U.S. National Team, she was automatically invited to try out for the 1984 Olympic Team.

“I was very honored to have been chosen to be a part of the team because the chemistry was very special,” she said. “We had a team where everyone was committed to the team concept of making one another better and always being available for whatever role we were called upon to take.”

Team USA won the gold medal after defeating South Korea 85-55.

“The most challenging part of the Olympic process was definitely the tryouts,” she said. “Once we got to Los Angeles and competition began we were definitely the most dominant team. The actual Olympics were not that stressful, we won every game by 25-30 points.”

After reaching the peak of her basketball career she retired in 1984. She went on to have two children, Brian and Laura, with her husband. Both became school athletes in their own right. Brian competed in track and Laura played volleyball.

“It’s very satisfying, not just that they have become great athletes, but that they have become great people," she said. "That’s probably the thing that I’m most proud of.”

Menken-Schaudt remains humble in her success as an Olympian offering advice to aspiring athletes.

“Discovering something I was good at was a way I built confidence, and that confidence has carried over in all aspects of my life," she said. "I think that most successful athletes are not always the most physically talented athletes. A lot of it is the mental aspect of it; how you view things, how you view yourself, and how you endure disappointment and hardship.”

Inducted into the OSU Sports Halls of Fame in 1993, her retired jersey still hangs on display in Gill Coliseum today.

LB iLearn Online: Student Testimonial

Anissa Teslow Cheek is enrolled in LB iLearn’s certificate program for social media. She has already earned her Bachelor’s from Oregon State University in Speech Communication, and while waiting to apply for her Master’s, Anissa decided to add another credential to her resume and become certified as social media specialist.

“My main purpose of gaining the certificate is to have it as an added bonus to my toolbox of communication and to try to have an extra relevant skill in the current job market,” she said.

While taking her courses online, Anissa juggles her time with an internship at Benton Habitat for Humanity. She started her internship managing their social media sites, but soon realized she only had knowledge from her experience using personal social media accounts. She decided given her career path that she should expand her horizons to a more professional training, benefiting her and her job.

“Even just one and a half courses in, I have implemented new tools to make their Facebook and Twitter campaigns more successful based on overall engagement, bringing awareness of what we do and the programs we offer, and leads to volunteering and donations.”

Anissa’s chosen career is part passion and part practicality. She’s been diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, a chronic and painful disorder to connective tissue and joints. Considering her physical limitations, the ability to work behind a computer gives her more options.

“Due to my physical disability, having a position I can do online with flexible hours and little to no traveling required makes being a social media specialist a more feasible occupation, if not an emotionally gratifying one.”

Since the goal of the program is to help people on an individual basis while they attend to life’s demands, Anissa, like other students, is assigned a Navigator to guide her through until completion. She has found support from her Navigator, Amber Vore, while balancing her health and course-work.

“Amber has been great at helping me come to the realization it is okay to adjust my original deadlines and refocus my attention to my health and then school as needed,” she said. “I do not feel pressured to be fast or turn in sloppy work just to get it done.”

Overall, her experience with LB iLearn so far has been positive.

“[Amber] has made sure that I can continue moving forward, no matter what the pace, given me confidence in my abilities, and is always easily accessible when I’ve had questions or concerns,” she said. “I would recommend LB iLearn to others, at least for the social media specialist certificate, due to its relevancy in the current job market.”

Corvallis: Locally funded scholarships seek recipients

About 60 percent of college students graduate with student loan debt, according to www.debt.org. It’s no secret college can be expensive, but what is often a secret is how many organizations are out there to help students pay for their education. 

Zonta Club of Corvallis is one such organization, and they are seeking Linn-Benton Community College and Oregon State University students to receive their next round of locally funded scholarships through their Zonta Service Foundation of Corvallis. 

“Part of the strategy with Zonta is rather than waiting for [students] to find us, we want to reach out to find them,” said Sally Widenmann, LBCC dean of instruction and member of the Zonta scholarship committee.

Zonta International is an organization devoted to empowering women and improving their lives through service and advocacy. It was founded in 1919 and required its members to be employed at least 50 percent of the time at an executive or decision-making level in a recognized business or profession, one of the first women’s organization to use such criteria for membership.

Zonta is now in 67 countries and works closely with the United Nations to influence laws impacting women worldwide. The Corvallis Club holds an auction each year to raise money for the club’s scholarship fund. Part of the auction includes straight donations.

“People can put up their paddle at the amount that is comfortable,” said Widenmann. “There is certainly a spirit of generosity.”

Last November’s auction generated $50,000 for local students, and from that money the club is looking to award at least 15 scholarships for the next school year. The majority of the scholarships are $3,000.

Pete Bober, scholarship committee chair for Zonta Club of Corvallis, is a former director at LBCC. A member since 1992, he is one of the first male members of Corvallis’ club. 

“As a retired community college director, I would like to see more Linn-Benton students take advantage of our scholarship program,” said Bober. 

Zonta scholarships are not exclusive to females, however, the recipients must be entering a career in which women are the minority, such as S.T.E.M. students, or for those that plan to dedicate their careers to helping women and/or children. 

Scholarships available for LBCC and OSU students give no preference to which school one attends. There is a diverse group of scholarships available with varying criteria and preferences including merit, financial need, older-than-average students, and student-parents.

Applicants must be either currently enrolled in one of the two institutions or returning to school after a minimum year-long hiatus. Students must be enrolled with at least nine credits for the length of the scholarship and reside in Oregon. 

Applications are due by April 1. More information can be found on Zonta’s scholarship database at www.zontacorvallis.org.