Untapped Talent: Former Tap Dancer Has Sights on Physical Therapy

---

Posted on November 3, 2021

托马斯Becnel

---

---

#FreshmanFocus is a series of stories on incoming students at the University of 南 阿拉巴马州.

Kaylyn Cordrey grew up dancing in Delaware. She was a soloist for a competitive tap team called the Alley Cats. They won regional and national championships.

Years of tap and ballet, though, took its toll.

“Being in dance for so long, I’ve accumulated so many different injuries,” she said. “I’ve rolled my ankle so many times I can barely feel it. I can’t feel the top of 我的脚趾.”

Cordrey笑. 舞者的一生.

Her injuries and time in rehabilitation led her to consider a career in 物理治疗. 她的专业是 运动科学 at the University of 南 阿拉巴马州.

她是 chose 南 because of a scholarship she won from the national Distinguished Young Women organization, which is based in Mobile. She learned about the group from 跳舞的朋友.

“She told me, ‘There’s this organization that you have to get involved with – I’ve been telling them all about you,’” Cordrey said. “So I went out and did that, and there was this competition where I tap danced and I won.”

She comes from the small town of Millsboro in southern Delaware. Her mother is a former attorney who became a schoolteacher. Her dad is a graphic artist with a sports video 业务.

“I get my drive and determination from my mom,” she said. “I get my creativity from 我的爸爸.”

When Cordrey moved to 阿拉巴马州, she left all of her dance shoes back in Delaware. 她是 a college student now. This is a new chapter in her life.

在南, she lives on campus. 她是 a sneaker addict who likes jeans and Jaguar tops. She still wears her high school graduation ring.

In Millsboro, Cordrey worked part-time at a pizza restaurant. She also did 75 hours in a 物理治疗 clinic, which turned her attention to pediatric care.  

“I learned that I didn’t want to work with adults or athletes,” she said. “你知道, we athletes, we’re never going to say things hurt, because we always want to compete. With kids, they’re going to tell you exactly what happened, where it hurts, and what they had for lunch. 他们是有趣的. They have no filter whatsoever.”

Was it hard moving all the way from Delaware to 阿拉巴马州?

“My mom and my little sister came down when I moved in. 妈妈哭了. 她说， ‘I can’t leave you.’ And I’m like, ‘You can leave. 你会没事的.’”

How does it feel being on your own?

“Well, I went grocery shopping by myself for the first time. Don’t go grocery shopping when you’re hungry. That’s what I learned.”

You sound like you’re from the Northeast. Can you understand 南ern accents?

“No. Especially the first week, it was a lot of ‘What? 你说什么??“很多。 my friends are from Montgomery, Birmingham or Gadsden. I’m like, ‘You have to speak 站起来，发音.’”

What about 南 阿拉巴马州 football? 你看着捷豹?

“Oh, I’ve been to all the football games. 这是 new for me, watching a team win. In high school, our sports teams were terrible. Our football team lost every game. 这是 nice when your team wins so you can celebrate.”

Have you gotten to explore much of Mobile?

“I went roller skating for the first time with some of my friends. I fell every time, 躺在我的背后. It hurt and I hated it. I told them, ‘I’ll drop you off next time.’”

What’s been more fun?

“We play volleyball in the pool at the Student Rec Center. 太有趣了. 有一个 volleyball net in this vortex area where the water swirls around — which is weird, because you can get carried away. Once you get your footing, though, you can play.”

What about your classes?

“I’ve got math, English and kinesiology. My psychology class is hard. 我的公开演讲 上课很容易. With Distinguished Women, I’ve done a lot of speaking.”

---