 Since joining the team as a freshman,
Kurt Van Allsburg has called three
different swimming pools “home,”
migrating from Calvin’s campus to East
Grand Rapids High School during the
Spoelhof Fieldhouse Complex constuction,
then finally returning to the newly completed
Venema Aquatic Center. Inside that
facility, Van Allsburg took the year-and-a-half
interlude of low team membership and
off-campus practices as an opportunity to
push his teammates to work harder.
“We invested in each other. That’s one
of the best things about the swim team—
the community. That’s the kind of community
that brought me to Calvin,” said the
senior captain.
Van Allsburg had raced in the 50
and 100 freestyle events throughout high
school, and only began swimming the 100
backstroke in college. “I sort of discovered
the 100 back just to avoid doing the 200 free,” he admitted. “Now it’s my best
event.” Van Allsburg also participated in a
number of relays, making it onto Calvin’s
record board in the 200-free relay.
Van Allsburg first got his feet wet in
eighth grade and continued on both his
school and club team throughout high
school at Grand Rapids Christian High.
Upon graduating, he originally planned
to attend a large public college out of state.
But after an overnight visit to Calvin, he changed his mind.
“Here, I’ve really grown and matured
to appreciate all that I’ve been given,
whereas at a secular school I feel I would
have learned to take everything I had for
granted,” he said.
But that growth didn’t come without
challenges. During the time at East Grand
Rapids, Calvin’s team membership dropped
sharply. At certain points, the team fell
short of the 18 allowable competitors—a situation that probably cost them a few
wins. Van Allsburg said that though it was
discouraging at times, he picked something
to fight for and encouraged his teammates
to do the same.
“When you’re given gifts, you can choose
to use them in a
half-hearted way,
and you can still
enjoy them. But
God gave them to
us to use to their
full,” he said.
When you pour
yourself into
something, that’s
when you can live
life the way God
intended it.”
Van Allsburg
carries that passion
into his education
as well. After graduating
this year,
he intends to
continue on to graduate school pursuing a
PhD in chemistry. He then plans to continue
with research and possibly begin teaching.“I feel strongly about giving others the
opportunities I’ve been given,” he said,“especially in education.”
After two years as team captain,
Van Allsburg leaves the men’s swim team
with high hopes for its future. He praised
this year’s freshmen for their hard work and
determination and believes that they have
set the tone for the Calvin swim program.
“God doesn’t care about whether you
win or lose,” he said, “but he does care about
how you live your life. You can choose to
live with the same passion God has for us.
That’s all He wants from us.”
See the Men's Swimming and Diving Web site. |
