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Lindsay Kroonenberg (Denver,
Colo.) |
Due to past injuries, junior Lindsay Kroonenberg wasn’t able to
show her tremendous talent and competitive spirit as a member of the Calvin
women’s cross country team—until recently.
A native of Denver, Colo., Kroonenberg was an outstanding cross country
and track and field athlete at Denver Christian High School, where she
suffered from a leg injury during her senior year. Although she didn’t
run her freshman year at Calvin, she joined the cross country team her
sophomore year.
But it still wasn’t Kroonenberg’s time to shine. She had
to stop running halfway through the 2003 season due to a stress fracture.
“It took forever to heal. I got the injury in October, and it didn’t
heal until May,” Kroonenberg said. The road to recovery was long
and frustrating, preventing her from doing what she is most passionate
about: running. “Running is really relaxing,” she said. “It
is something I look forward to every day, seeing teammates and seeing
how far I can push myself.”
Kroonenberg did eventually recover. She trained during the summer of
2004 but had to take in slowly, running only three consecutive days while
always taking the fourth day off.
Her patience and dedication paid off. Kroonenberg had a great season.
In her first collegiate conference race—the MIAA championship race
held at Calvin’s new home course—the junior captured second
place and a spot on the All-MIAA first team. “For me, it’s
a huge accomplishment,” said Kroonenberg.
“What kept me going was the team; just being on a team is an awesome
thing. At Calvin, it’s about being with the team,” she added.
Kroonenberg also gives credit to Calvin’s coaching staff: “Our
coaching made a huge impact this season. They really supported us more
than we ever could expect.”
Her promising finish has Kroonenberg already setting goals for next
season.
“I am really looking forward to next year,” she said. “I
want to see how far I can push myself in competition, to be as competitive
as I can be. I also want to be a good teammate and leader next season
and develop with the girls.”
A member of the MIAA’s academic Honor Roll, Kroonenberg plans
to graduate in the spring of 2006 with a degree in special education. |
