Kara (Pongonis) Paslay wasn't finished with sports after playing college basketball for four years at Tulsa.

She tried professional basketball in Lithuania, but became disillusioned after one year with the lack of team play in the European Leagues. After returning home to Tulsa, the former Springdale High star eventually started a business and found a new outlet for her competitive streak -- Crossfit.

"I like the individual aspect of Crossfit, but it also gives you the opportunity to be part of a team," Paslay said. "Once I tried it, I just fell in love with it."

Paslay, 29, is pretty good at it, too. She recently returned from Chicago, where she placed eighth in the North-Central region of the United States and 88th in the word in the open division for ages 18-39. Crossfit is described as a full-body workout that combines elements of cardio, weight lifting, gymnastics, and running. Crossfit athletes work out for five weeks and submit videos and computerized results to be judge against other competitors.

"I did really well, but you have to finish in the top 48 to qualify for the finals," Paslay said.

Undaunted, Paslay turned her attention to another high intensity sport; the newly-formed National Professional Fitness League. The NPFL will field teams in eight cities where teams face off against each other in a series of running, jumping, and lifting events.

Paslay hopes to be drafted by a team in July after attending a combine for prospects in Dallas.

"I'm really excited about the NPFL," Paslay said. "The competition brings back everything I love about basketball. It's knowing that if I do my part well, we can be successful as a team."

Paslay did her job well as a starting guard at Springdale and later in college at Tulsa. She was a two-time all-state player and led the Lady Bulldogs to the state championship game as a senior. In 2012, she was voted into the school's athletic Hall of Fame.

"Kara was always an extremely hard worker," said Springdale Har-Ber coach Sandy Wright, who coached Paslay in high school. "I would put her in the 'overachiever' category. We would practice two hours at Springdale, then she would go for another shooting workout, a lot of times with Ron Brewer, for two more hours. She wasn't blessed with size, so she had to work extra hard to get to the levels she achieved. She was a delight to coach because she was a winner."

Paslay continued her successful at Tulsa, where she was named a Conference USA Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2006. She graduated with 3.93 grade point average in communication and averaged 9.1 points and 5.3 assists per game for a Tulsa team that finished 26-6 on the season.

She also married her husband, Tim Paslay of Fayetteville, in college after the two met in high school.

"Of course, I'm so proud of Kara and her accomplishments," Tim Paslay said. "Her athletic ability gives her great opportunities, but it's her drive and work ethic that's so inspiring to me and the people around her. I've always been her No. 1 fan."

The husband and wife team operates a website, Kara Paslay Designs. Kara is an interior decorator and Tim helps with the fabrication and set designs.

"Our motto is 'do what you love,'" Paslay said. "I love colors and I love to stand out."

She continues to do that quite well, in her job and in athletics.

Sports on 06/13/2014