It was a hot day on Saturday, May 30, 2009 when I strolled over to Boomerjack’s Grill in Bedford after the Lone Star Mustangs game. I was hoping to catch up with some of the ladies on the team and find out more about them. One of the first ladies I met at the game was Kelsey Korywchak. I thought she was kind of young, so I was immediately interested in her story. She is twenty-one years old, not too young, but the youngest member of the team.
Kelsey is one half of the “twins.” Teammates calls them “Twin 1″ and her sister Cassie “Twin 2.” They had played every sport together, and Kelsey convinced her sister to come try out for the Mustangs so that they would be together in a new adventure.
Kelsey and Cassie
Fittingly, the two wear the numbers 1 (Kelsey) and 2 (Cassie). Kelsey had played the whole year at running back, but on the day of the Mustangs game with the Outlaws, she made the switch to wide receiver.
“I was born and raised here (Bedford),” she told me. “I played softball, and then I threw my shoulder out. I decided to come back (from Keller) to where I grew up, and graduate with my friends.”
Korywchak began playing softball in the Keller program in 8th grade. She lost her chance to play college softball when she injured her shoulder in high school. Korywchak has been attending Tarrant County College since she graduated high school.
Kelsey, who stays home now to take care of Cassie, previously worked at Dick’s Sporting Goods and in home health care. “They thought it was awesome,” she said of her former co-workers about her playing football. “Even people I don’t work with now, they still come to the games.”
“Actually I heard it on the radio,” Korywchak said on how she heard about the Mustangs. “I rushed home and said, ‘Cassie get ready, we’ve got try-outs at 6:30.’ She was like, ‘what?’ Yeah, football try-outs.” They two made the team and immediately loved playing the game.
“Cassie was really in to football; I think more than I was,” said Kelsey. “She was a better running back than I was. I have better hands, but she is a better runner than me. She’s faster too.”
Kelsey lines up at receiver
Korywchak likes the team environment. She likes being a part of the team, and, no team is more important to her than her and her sister, Cassie.
Cassie was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in March of this year. The team has rallied behind the twins helping them raise money for treatment. The treatments are expensive and painful, but Cassie and Kelsey have a family of support in the Mustangs football team.
The theme for Cassie, which is written on bracelets, is “2 inspire.” Bracelets, t-shirts, dog-tags are all sold to help raise money for Cassie’s medical expenses. Cassie lost her job shortly after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Medical bills are mounting, and Cassie and Kelsey’s teammates have persevered in helping them raise money.
Cassie’s perseverance is an inspiration to Kesley and the rest of the team. Likewise, Cassie takes inspiration from Kelsey’s love for her sister and willingness to stand by her through her treatments. The “twins” are an inspirations to all who know them and to each other.
You can learn more about Cassie’s fight against Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and help with her medical bills at Cassie’s Corner.
