Athlete Spotlight: Gallagher Finds Home in First Year at Watonga

Moving to a new town in the middle of high school can be an overwhelming experience. But for Piper Gallagher, a junior (and soon-to-be senior) at Watonga High School, the change has been welcome.

"I love it here," she said. "It's been really good for me here."

In Watonga, the 17-year-old Gallagher found her place as a runner on Watonga's vaunted track and cross country teams, a leader of the yearbook staff, a go-to photographer, a 4.0 student, and an intern for the Watonga Republican.

Not bad for one school year.

Gallagher was born in Enid, the youngest child of educators Brandon and Tiffani Gallagher after her brother, Bode, who's now 20. She lived in Enid until the fifth grade, when Brandon took a coaching job in Cordell.

The move wasn't far geographically, but still proved a "culture shock" for young Piper.

"I had a bit of a hard time adjusting at first," she recalled.

Gallagher said she enjoyed her time in Cordell, mostly, but never fit in completely and struggled with her mental health. That's why when Brandon Gallagher signed on to coach Watonga basketball, Piper embraced the change.

She enjoyed running cross country last fall for a talented Lady Eagles team that captured third place at State. "Which was really cool," Gallagher said, "because I've never been on the podium for anything." She improved steadily throughout the year.

Gallagher was just starting to find her stride during track season when a scary practice i n j u r y derailed her year. "I was starting off pretty good," s h e explained. "I had, like, the meet of my life at Chisholm. I made finals." After her big meet, Gallagher tried to run her way onto a relay team at practice. "And then 10 meters from the finish line, I took a really hard fall."

She compared the fall to skipping a rock on a lake. "That's kind of what I did on the track," Gallagher said, adding that the fall left her "scraped up and bruised."

Gallagher had a tough Regional meet and didn't qualify for State, which she said was "a little heartbreak." She attended Saturday's State meet in Catoosa as an alternate and took pictures, something she's been doing at lots of sporting events this year.

Gallagher's budding photography business -- you can find it on Facebook as "Photography by Piper G" -- is one of her biggest passions. And she's been working hard to make a name for herself.

"It was a lot of me being like, 'Let me take your senior pictures. Let me show you what I can do,’” she said. “Just trying to get myself out there."

Since the fall semester, Gallagher has also been contributing weekly features to the Watonga Republican to spotlight other athletes from Watonga and Geary.

In her free time, Gallagher enjoys hanging out with her friends and her boyfriend, Ernesto Duenez, who she called one of her biggest supporters. "Even before we were dating, he was always nice to me. That's really nice to have when you're moving from somewhere new," she said. "He came and watched me at cross country meets. No matter how I did, he was always proud of me."

She also credited Coach Jim Bob Coleman and, especially, assistant track Coach Skylar Watson with helping her compete. "He (Watson) definitely helped a lot, and on the mental side of things too," Gallagher said. "I think he and I are really similar in that aspect. ... He genuinely cares about every single person out there."

And of course, Gallagher said she'd be nowhere without her supportive parents and her grandmother, Linda Smith. She thanked her mother for helping her through tough times at Cordell, and her father and brother for instilling a "never-quit attitude" in her. And Smith, Gallagher said, has been an "absolute angel" in her life who is "always so supportive of me no matter what."

Gallagher has one year of high school left, but is thinking about her next step. She'd love to keep running after high school, she said. "Sports aren't something that I want to be done with. I grew up around them. My dad was a coach all my life. I'm not ready for that to end."

She anticipates that writing and photography will be a big part of her future, too. "I definitely want to go to college and probably study journalism and photography. Maybe get into some broadcasting," Gallagher said. "It's definitely something I fell in love with. I love taking pictures."

But for now, Gallagher is excited for one last year in Watonga and happy to be in a place that finally feels like home.

Piper Gallagher, 17

Grade- Junior

Family- Brandon and Tiffani

Gallagher (parents), Bode

Gallagher (sister)

Activities- Student Council, NHS, Cross Country, Track, Yearbook, Scholastics

Hobbies- Photography, working out, spending time with friends and boyfriend Ernesto