ID Magazine Spring 2019

Spring 2019 Sports Issue

Simpson in motion ID Magazine

Letter from the

Editor

S

ports and being physically active are an important part of many peoples lives, from my own, to students on campus. For me, it’s running. Running isn’t easy, but it is simple. One foot in front of the other, getting from point A to point B. Like all of life, things may seem simple but they’re not usually easy.

Everyone’s story is more than just getting from point A to point B. It’s the journey, the steps, the missteps and everything in between. The goal of this semester’s magazine was to use sports as a catalyst to tell these stories and give some insight into the thoughts of the people in them. Through these people and these stories I hope you see a little of yourself, and all of the Simpson community.

Jonathan Facio, Edtior in Chief

Meet the Staff

Josh Paulson

Kayla Reusche

Blake Carlson

Daria Mather

Zoe Seiler

Ty Duve

Randy Paulson

Madison Hance

Austin Hronich

Contents

8

14

2 24

Seniors share what they learned about themselves through participating in Simpson sports.

2 29

Through rugby, students find their strength in this unique sport.

Five tips to fuel for your sport or any activity.

3

8

4

More than a bike ride, what RAGBRAI taugh Blake Carlson about life’s journey.

20 4

A message to softball, what the sport means to some players as they approach their last games.

26 9

30

Susan Jackson uses her unstoppable mindset to help Simpson Track and Field reach new heights.

Simpson athletes in action as told through photos.

The Ride of Our Lives Simpson junior Blake Carlson set out on the roughly 428 mile long bike ride to reflect on his life and improve his health. He cam away with a better understanding of life’s journey.

Story by Blake Carlson

In college, you learn a lot about yourself.

Suddenly, you are 20 years old and you know people who are married, have kids, and are in jail. Some of them; all three. In college, you are constantly surrounded by people from all different walks of life who are also trying to figure out who they are, where they are and what their purpose is.

For me, throw in an unhealthy living situation, being way too involved in activities and a heavy course load and you have the perfect storm for a divine intervention of self-discovery.

It is tradition for riders to dip the back tire in a river at the start of the ride and the front tire in a river at the end of RAGBRAI, according to ragbrai. com

Finishing up my sophomore year, I found myself struggling to come to terms with who I was and where I was going, I needed an opportunity for some long-term reflection.

I decided to ride RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa).

That’s right, riding my bike across the state of Iowa for seven days with up to 40,000 people from every corner of this earth. This. This was the experience that would allow me to once again become in line with my soul.

Well, it worked. Sort of.

So many people come to Iowa to ride RAGBRAI because of a phrase we have come to own with great pride: “Iowa Nice”. And boy was it out in full force. Except, as I was riding, I began to ponder this “Iowa Nice” thing.

While we are so nice to all of those people who come through on their bicycles, are we really that nice to each other? Because the “Iowa Nice” I saw on RAGBRAI was not the “Iowa Nice” I see everyday living in this state.

On RAGBRAI, by a strict physical profile, there is no immediate way to tell if someone is gay or straight, rich or poor, Catholic or atheist, Republican or Democrat, from Boston, Massachusetts or Everly, Iowa. As a result, there is

“

That’s right, riding my bike across the state of Iowa for seven days with up to 40,000 people from every corner of this Earth. This. This was the experience allowed me to once again become in line with my soul.

Well, it worked. Sort of.

–Blake Carlson

“

really no way for us nice Iowans to discriminate against those who are different than us.

Here’s the thing, what taught me the most about myself on RAGBRAI is actually what I learned about the people around me.

As humans, we are afraid of what we don’t know. We are quick to judge those who are different because we just don’t know about their life. I only use “Iowa Nice” as an example, it is not just here, it’s a universal fear.

It was on the second full day of RAGBRAI XLVI when word spread among riders that long-time Des Moines Register columnist Donald Kaul had died. Kaul was not only known for his daily “Over the Coffee” columns in the Register but also as the co-founder of what he calls “the Olympic Games of the ding-a-ling bicycle set” (RAGBRAI).

After I finished the ride, I was eager to learn more about Kaul and his writing.

When asked how he came up with fresh ideas for new columns every day, he said: “You don’t. But if you work very hard at it, you can make it look as though you do, more or less,” Kaul said.

As I reflected on my journey on RAGBRAI, I found Kaul’s words quite applicable.

As human’s we are all out here just trying our best and even though it may seem like we have it all together, we don’t.

So, instead of being so quick to judge those who are different, I invite you to look inward.

Look inside yourself for a moment. Put yourself on that bicycle and consider your life’s ride. Are you happy with it? Are you stuck? Often when there is something inside of us we are unhappy with or are feeling stuck on we turn that energy outward into judgement upon others.

When really, if we took a moment to pause and understand, we might find that they are also stuck on their life ride. They probably need us just as much as we need them.

In the times when we are facing uncertainty about our life’s ride, we must not be so quick to judge what we do not know, but take the time to turn to our left and to our right because odds are the other riders on

life’s road are also at a pivotal point, questioning just how to move forward.

While I set out to ride RAGBRAI to find out more about myself, it was those around me who taught me the most. Who knew riding my bicycle 428 miles across central Iowa would lead me to discover just what it is that brings us together, and tears us apart.

Clarence Pickard, an Indianola native, Simpson College graduate and retired farmer, who in 1973 at the age of 83 answered the call for the first annual great bike ride across Iowa. He was one of 113 to ride all the way across the state that first year, and did it in long wool underwear and a pith helmet atop a used women’s Schwinn bicycle.

It is never to early or too old to reconsider your life’s ride.

You can choose to change your path or accept the path of others at any time, it just takes one choice.

And this summer might just be your chance. RAGBRAI XLVII will make an overnight stop in Indianola on July 23. Whether it is actually riding a bicycle across this great state, or choosing a different path there is no better time to start.

And, the next time you hear that phrase, “Iowa Nice”, think to yourself. “Am I just “Iowa Nice” when there’s company in town? Or am I truly being “Iowa Nice” every single day of life’s ride?”

SUMMER ! @ Fulfill an ECC Lighten your academic load Focus on a difficult course Get ahead or catch up No hassle with transfer credit from other institutions Study from home

SUMMER SESSION 1: May 28 to July 21, 2019 FACE-TO-FACE COURSES (West Des Moines campus) COMM 275: GenderRaceClass/Media DP REL 111: Old Testament CT, EV ONLINE COURSES ACCT 250: Intro to Acct Systems CMSC 220: Social Context:Comput EV, IL MAGT 333: Organization & Behavior CL, OC

MIS 145: Management Info Systems IL, QR MUS 103: Discovering Music AR SOC 101: Intro to Sociology CE SPAN 105: Crossing Borders: Latin America GP, IC SPSC 107: General Nutrition SPSC 253: Sport & Fitness Management CT, OC SPSC 308: Health Methods and Curriculum

SUMMER SESSION CROSS: May 28 to August 18, 2019 FACE-TO-FACE COURSES (West Des Moines campus) ACCT 345: Advanced Accounting CIS 385: CIS Capstone WC CIS 386: CIS Capstone CIS 390: Information Assurance ECON 135: Applied Statistics QR EDUC 573: Master’s Project

ONLINE COURSES CJ 346: CJ Field Exp & Seminar WC CJ 509: Grad Student Intrn ENG 117: Western Literature II HP, WC ENG 190: Writing Workshop WC HSV 348: HSV Field Exp & Seminar WC MATH 105: Quantitative Reasoning QR NASC 102: Intro Meteorology w/Lab QR, SR SOC 347: Soc Field Exp & Sem WC

SUMMER SESSION 2: June 24 to August 18, 2019 FACE-TO-FACE COURSES (West Des Moines campus) ACCT 355: Business Tax ECON 339: Corporation Finance MUS 190: History of Rock & Roll CT POSC 240: World Politics IL SC 101: Bowling for Socialism WC, CT ONLINE COURSES BIOL 104: Human Biology w/Lab SR CJ 224: Police and Society

CJ 590: Special Topics Police and Society COMM 190: Fake News IL EDUC 312/512: Exceptional Learners CL, IL GEOG 128 (2 credit course): Regional Geog of Developed Wrld JPN 105: Japan:Kimonos/Blue Jeans GP, IC MKTG 234: Marketing MIS 220: E-Commerce PHIL 235: Health Care Ethics EV, CT PSYC 220: Psychology of Gender CT, SR SCJ 340: Race/Ethnic Relations DP

Register at summer@simpson.edu or through SC Connect!

SIMPSON.EDU/SUMMER

Dear Softball...

“ Story and photos by Kayla Reusche

“

You have been there for me through thick and thin. You’ve taught me lessons that I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.

And most of all, you’ve granted me some of the greatest friends I could have ever asked for.

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For these Simpson athletes, their softball careers are nearing an end. They’ve lived and breathed softball for the past 10-plus years, and soon they’ll have to part.

“

– Megan Crockett, sophomore outfielder

Thank you for being here the past 18 years of my life.

You were there when life was filled with frustration and I needed an escape from reality. You have given me my favorite memories and my lifelong best friends. You’ve taught me patience, hard work and determination. Thank you.

“

– Ashley Allen, senior catcher

Madi Bennett (left), Ashley Allen (middle), Kayla Reusche (right).

“

Thank you for giving me lifetime friendships. Thank you for making me learn hard work – for giving me a place to get away from real life. Having that escape is probably one of the best things I was ever given.

“

– Kayley Thomas, freshman infielder

Reflecting on the sport flooded the athletes with emotion – the good and the bad. Softball is something special to them. It’s taught them lessons they’ll carry with them forever.

It’s brought Allen out of her shell and molded her into a leader.

It’s taught Crockett strong work ethic.

And it’s taught Thomas self-confidence.

But perhaps most importantly, it’s taught all three what it’s like to fail. Softball is a game of failure. If you succeed three out of 10 times, you’re considered successful.

“You fail so many more times than you succeed, and that’s just a good life lesson to carry with you,” Thomas said. “You learn the best from failing; I don’t think you can learn without it.”

Not only has softball taught these athletes life skills, but it’s given them opportunities they never dreamed of.

The Simpson softball team traveled to Cuba over winter break in 2018. For many, it was their first time

traveling internationally. Experiencing a new country brought a bit of culture shock, but it brought the team closer together.

Head Softball Coach Brent Matthias’ goals for the trip were cultural immersion, service and team building.

And the team did just that.

As the first women’s softball team to play on a goodwill tour in Havana, the Storm competed in four contests against Cuban teams.

Although there was a language barrier between the two teams, softball served as their mode of communication.

“Softball was kind of the known language between us and the Cubans because on the final day when we mixed our teams and got to play next to the Cubans, we couldn’t verbally communicate with them,” Allen said.

“Softball was our common language.”

“It’s pretty cool that the game never changes no matter where you’re at,” she added.

The trip was an eye-opener for Crockett.

“We’re just so pampered here that you kind of forget what other places are like,” she said.

The Cuban teams borrowed helmets and bats from the Storm during games because they didn’t have enough of their own.

Humbled, the Storm donated bags of equipment to the Cuban teams full of helmets, bats, catching gear, softballs, clothes and the cleats off their feet.

“We were all in a big circle after our last game, and we untied our cleats, took them off and handed them to the Cubans,” Crockett said. “Some of them started to cry because they were so thankful. It was an emotional moment.”

The trip overwhelmed the entire team with gratitude as they saw how little the Cuban teams played with. It made them realize how much they take for granted in the U.S. Halfway through her final season, Allen is trying not to take the game of softball for granted and seize every moment.

“It’s bittersweet because of course I don’t want to be done playing, but at the same time I still have my coaching career, so I know I’ll still be able to be around the sport,” Allen said.

Allen always knew she wanted to play college softball. She dreamt about it as a little girl and longed to play for a larger university, but she couldn’t be happier with

her decision to come to Simpson.

“I came for a visit, and I knew right away that Simpson was where I wanted to be. I felt like I was at home,” Allen said. “I love the route that I took, and I wouldn’t trade coming to Simpson for anything.”

Other players didn’t always know that college softball was in their future.

During her junior year of high school, Thomas contemplated hanging up the cleats for good. She wrestled with the fact that it took other opportunities away from her.

“I was kind of tired of it, and it had taken up so much of my life and was taking up other opportunities that I wanted to do,” she said.

But during her senior year she realized she couldn’t go a day without it.

“My senior year I realized that I loved the sport too

much to give up. I had too much commitment to it” Thomas said.

Crockett also had doubts about playing college softball. It wasn’t until her junior year of high school that she realized she had what it takes. She had to decide whether to continue her softball or golf career, so her decision came down to what made her happier, and that was softball.

With a little more than half of her college career left, Crockett urges younger players to savor every moment of the game.

“Don’t take it for granted,” Crockett said. These four years are all you have left, so you want to take advantage of every opportunity you get.”

More photos from Havana

Seniors on the Story by Ty Duve

S

enior year is a year full of lasts.

The last first day of class, the last homecoming and the last final exam. For athletes, this means the last time playing in front of a crowd they have played in front of since they were five-years-old, the last time putting on their jersey they have taken pride in wearing every game, and the last time being known as a student athlete.

But being an athlete doesn’t end after stepping off the field after the final game or finishing your last race.

Being an athlete comes with a lifetime supply of friends, memories and life-lessons.

e Homestretch

Devon Veach

– Shelby Hunemiller

“

“

It all comes down to always believing in yourself and never comparing yourself to anyone else

Senior cross country runner, Shelby Hunnemiller (Right), running alongside teammates Audrey Klein (Middle), and Katie Murano (Left).

“I’ve been running for ten years now,” said senior cross-country runner, Shelby Hunemiller. “I have definitely built mental toughness and gained many connections along the way who are my best friends now.”

Hunemiller is graduating in May with a degree in athletic training, exercise science and coaching. She recently accepted a job position in Michigan as a cross country coach.

“I always want to be in the running environment,” Hunemiller said. “It all comes down to always believing in yourself and not comparing yourself to anyone else.”

When times get tough Hunemiller always looks to her parents and coaches for support.

“My mom comes to every meet and is always there watching me run and cheering me on,” Hunemiller said.

“She is the one who first got me interested in running and instilled the hard work mentality that I have now.”

Devon Veach is currently participating in his final season of baseball. His transition after graduation will be bittersweet as he moves on from playing baseball. He will graduate in May and start a job at EMC Insurance.

“I will have to continue to be responsible and manage my time wisely, but I will be more focused on work than baseball,” Veach said.

Veach had a rough start at Simpson coming from a small school that held all grades kindergarten through 12th grade. “I was in the same place for 13 years straight,” Veach said. “So, when I came here everything hit me really quick.”

Once baseball season began, he immediately felt more at home and met some of his best friends.

Veach is one of only two seniors this season and 22 freshmen. He has enjoyed stepping into the senior leadership role and leading the large group of underclassmen.

“Its been really nice to be able to lead quietly from the back and help with small minor details that a lot of new college baseball players might not be used to,” Veach said.

He likes being a mentor to the underclassmen and helping them in any way he can.

“Everything good in life requires hard work,” Veach said. “It might be overwhelming at first but stick it out and try your best because it will be worth it.”

Taia Veren is a senior on the dance team preparing to dance at nationals for the last time. After, she will have to make the transition from collegiate athlete to working adult.

“It will be kind of a shock for me,” Veren said. “I won’t know what to do with all of my time because dance takes up so much of my life.”

She hopes to continue teaching dance after graduation.

“Maybe someday I can coach a dance team of my own.”

Taia Veren

Sometimes athletes will lose their motivation to continue excelling in their sport. Sports consume so much time and energy on top of normal responsibilities and it gets tough.

“I think every athlete has that point in their career where they reconsider if sports are really worth all of the time and stress,” Veren said. “I think it all boils down to the good outweighing the bad and knowing that I truly do love this sport and everything it has given me over the years.”

The Simpson College dance team has had great success in the past few years with outstanding senior leadership.

Veren hopes the Simpson dance team continues to succeed and enjoy their experiences on the team.

“Make the most of every opportunity. Being an athlete is something you will remember for the rest of your life.

You have learned so much and have met so many people and it’s not something you want to take for granted,” Veren said. “Roll Storm”.

Simpson Rugby Worth the Try These students found their strength on the pitch and with the team.

gym was. We just liked it ever since.”

The sport is fast-paced, aggressive and team oriented. It Rugby: a mix of soccer and football. A fast, high-scor- requires some strategy but also allows players to freestyle. ing game that many don’t understand. There are different “I like that everybody has their role and has to do their types of rugby, including rugby sevens, which has seven job really for sevens to work, but also, you really rely on players on the field. Rugby sevens made its Olympic debut your teammates. There’s a lot of independent responsibilin 2016, according to USA Rugby. ity, but you grow as a team together, so I really like that,” Rugby sevens is a club sport at Simpson College and Johanson said. is played in the Rugby can be difficult spring. Players to understand and is not join the team out one of the most popular of curiosity and sports in the United States find a passion for but is common worldthe game. wide.

Senior Emma “It’s a worldwide Johanson joined thing, like everybody the rugby team seems to get along with midseason her each other for the most first year due part. You might not actuto an invitation ally know another rugby from another player but knowing that player. they are a rugby player – Emma Johanson “I was actualpretty much immediately ly playing dodgemakes you friends,” Joball and one of hanson said. “Everybody the girls came up helps each other out pretty to me and basically said she thought I would be good at it much.” and I should come try playing,” Johanson said. “So, I went Every player has their role on a team, which allows for and tried it and immediately loved it, so just stuck with it.” players of all shapes and sizes to be able to play, succeed Senior Hattie Liechty also joined the team her first and feel tough. year with a friend.

“I think it just makes me feel really strong. I’m not a “I went out with my freshman friend,” Liechty said. “I large person, so I’m usually not one of the biggest people think she said something about hey, there’s a rugby team on the field,” Johanson said. “Literally anybody of any on campus and we’re like ‘whoa, that’s pretty cool,’ so we body type, you can find somewhere they can play, so that emailed that coach and she told us when the first open just makes me feel really strong. I have my role. I can do Story by Zoe Seiler

“

Literally anybody of any body type, you can find somewhere they can play, so that just makes me feel really strong. I have my role. I can do it well.

“

it well. I’m one of the smaller, faster players. I get around people. I tend to score when I get around people, so it’s really fun.”

The fast pace of the game means players have to react more and have to make quick decisions. Players are constantly moving on the field and have a job at all times.

“You literally start the game and you go the whole time. There’s thinking, but it’s fast. You can’t dwell on anything and that’s what I like about it,” Liechty said.

“Because one thing happens, whether it’s good or bad, you forget about it, you move on, but just compared to other sports, like softball, because I’m used to that, you sit in the field and just think about it and think about it while a ball’s not coming to you.”

Liechty also said rugby games are 15 minutes long, which seems short compared to other sports, but is physically demanding.

“People think that’s really short, but I feel like the fittest people would think it’s pretty challenging, because, I explain it to people, it feels like doing burpees the whole time. You run somewhere but then you tackle, so then you’re on the ground, then you’re back up, so it’s like continuous burpees.”

Rugby at Simpson is a club sport, not an intramural or varsity sport. The team struggles to get commitment and recruit plays like a varsity sport. Sometimes only a couple players will be at practice, but the players are able to over-

come these challenges.

“It’s a club sport so we really have to fight to get recognition and get the support that we have. It’s also really hard with recruiting people to come out and play, getting a practice schedule and getting commitment from the team for practice,” Johanson said. “Even with that, we’re still going to nationals. We’re still making progress every year and getting better every year at nationals.”

Rugby also differs from other Simpson sports by practicing co-ed. Most varsity sports that have a men’s and women’s team practice separately.

“I think it just makes you that much closer to both teams and you get that much more support because with a school not knowing much about your club team, it helps for a whole other team to be like ‘we know them,’” Liechty said.

Johanson and Liechty hope rugby becomes more popular on campus, especially as the sport grows nationwide and more Iowa high schools gain rugby teams.

“Absolutely, I hope that it grows pretty much everywhere,” Johanson said. “There’s high school teams not in the area, so hopefully, at some point, we start pulling some Simpson students from those high schools because they’re interested in coming to play rugby. We’ve done well at nationals every year, so it’s a good program. I don’t see a reason for it to stop.”

Photo Courtesy of Emma Johanson

No Pain, No Excuses: Pro Jumper Susan Jackson Pushes Simpson Higher Story by Randy Paulson

Simpson College’s newest jumping coach was nine years old when she first competed in track and field—and was nine years old when she became a national champion in high jump.

What followed was a nearly 20-year-long track and field career, in which Susan Jackson specialized in high jump and earned numerous awards and additional national titles.

She said it all started when she competed in track at a private elementary school she attended in her native Napa Valley, California. However, the school’s track team just participated in one track meet for the entire year and had a limited selection of events.

“So it wasn’t real track,” she said.

It wasn’t until she switched to a public school in fourth grade that her passion for track kicked into high gear, and in 1999, she emerged a national high jump champion.

Her success only continued in high school, where she set her school high jump record to 5’10,” and in community college in Sacramento, where she won back-to-back state titles and also set the school high jump record there.

Later on at Western State Colorado University, Susan further excelled at high jump, claiming the NCAA Division II Outdoor National Championship for the event in 2012. She also earned four All-American accolades that year and seven conference selections for high jump, triple jump and long jump.

Winning national titles and setting records, however,

Photo by Randy Paulson

did not mean Susan was immune to sustaining serious injuries during her athletic career. In high school and college, she suffered eight injuries, some of which required surgery and time off from competing.

Her sophomore year of high school, for instance, she suffered a torn meniscus in her knee that held her back from practice and eventually required surgery.

“But from then on, I was like, ‘I want to be successful,’” Susan said. (She later went on to win third at state in high school and set the school high jump record).

More injuries followed in college but still did not hold her back. In fact, when she competed at—and won—the 2012 outdoor national championships, with a broken

ankle.

“And I basically was like, ‘Screw this. They said nothing’s wrong with me, it hurts for no reason,’ and I kept competing,” Susan said.

She learned to talk herself out of the pain in order to keep competing. Although she had to take the next year off due to the injury, she continued to use the mental tactic of ignoring her pain during her professional career.

When she tore two ligaments in her ankle during the first day of the 2016 Olympic Trials, she pushed through the pain to eventually place 10th.

“I was still seeded really high, I was like fourth,” she said. “And then two days later, that’s when it started to really hurt. But I talked myself out of pain because my coach said, ‘No excuses,’ going to the meet, and I was like, ‘Alright!’”

“The second you say something hurts, it hurts 10 times worse,” she added.

Although she learned to talk herself out of pain she felt in her ankles, that same mental technique could not help her when she learned she had a brain tumor last September.

The discovery was preceded by three weeks of intense headaches, which she said had tipped her off that something was wrong. An emergency MRI later confirmed the diagnosis.

She had the moderate-sized tumor removed on Oct. 8, 2018 in a nearly nine-hour-long craniotomy. She said they had to leave about 5 percent of the tumor since it was in part of her brain that controlled emotions and other key functions.

Afterward, Susan decided to retire from professional athletics. In early December, she and her fiancé moved back to Des Moines, which is where his family lives. Since her fiancé had graduated from Simpson, she decided she would look into coaching track here.

Photo Courtesy of James Kirby

to reach their full potential.

She does this by getting them to leave their comfort zones when it comes to practicing and competing. If a person stays inside their comfort zone, they will never be become as successful as they wish to be, she said.

“Whereas, if you get out of your comfort zone, and you push yourself mentally and physically, you’re gonna become a lot more successful and find out how much potential you truly have,” Susan said.

Before Susan began coaching in January, Glanz had actually been considering not jumping this year since her previous year of competing had been rough. But this year, with Susan as her coach, Glanz has continually been increasing her jumping goals and does not want to put a limit on what she could be capable of achieving.

Her original high jump goal had been around 5’ 0” to 5’2.” But Susan has pushed her to reach for heights closer to 5’6” and 5’7,” which Glanz found initially found intimidating.

“But at the same time, it’s like, again, she’s pushing me outside my comfort zone, making me really look at the big picture,” Glanz said. “And those heights would not only help me score at conference but help make podium, which would be top three in our conference. It would get me close to qualifying for nationals, depending on the year.”

Though she is not competing anymore, Susan loves coaching and shares the joy her athletes’ feel when they succeed.

“

I mean, I get just as happy as if I made a bar in high jump when they make one, she said.

“It’s the same thing.”

“

One month later, the 29-year-old former athlete became Simpson’s new jumps coach. Although she’s only been coaching here for a few months, her athletes have already noticed the impact she has made on track program.

“She’s had an incredibly positive impact,” said sophomore high jumper Jamie Glanz.

Since Susan has competed professionally, Glanz said she is especially knowledgeable about competing and knows firsthand what she is talking about when it comes to coaching.

“Not that we don’t listen to our coaches already, but just having that status of, ‘I was a professional athlete’ just has a certain ring to it that just makes you respect her and look up to her,” Glanz said.

Glanz is one of the handful of jumpers to whom Susan devotes personalized coaching time in order to fine-tune their techniques. Susan also now oversees the track program’s strength and conditioning program, and Glanz said she has implemented positive changes.

She has personally already seen results in her performance in the few months since Susan joined the coaching staff.

“I’m already clearing higher heights this year, like halfway through my indoor season, than I did all indoor and outdoor season last year,” she said.

Glanz also said she appreciates having a female coach on the track staff, which hasn’t been the case for several decades. She said this has made the female athletes feel they have someone they can go talk to about track matters and life outside of athletics.

Susan in turn appreciates how open her athletes are to her. “The more you can communicate with someone, the more you’re gonna get out of it,” she said.

She also is open to them about her own life, even when it comes to discussing her brain tumor. She said when people view her solely as a pro athlete, they tend to overlook the fact she is still a human who can get injured and sick, too.

“Our mentality is a little different, our strength is a little different, but it’s nothing crazy, we get injured as easily as you do,” she said.

Nevertheless, Glanz said seeing the way Susan managed to maintain a positive outlook on life throughout her ordeal with the tumor made her respect her coach even more. It also helps Glanz herself stay positive and put her own challenges in perspective.

“So like if we come to practice and have a bad day or something … I just think, ‘Well at least I’m not going through everything that Susan’s going through,’” she said.

Aside from simply serving as an inspiration to the athletes she coaches, Susan wants to push all of her athletes

5

Tips to Eat Better as an Athlete:

By Daria Mather

Being a student athlete can take a lot out of a person. It doesn’t matter if an athlete is a Division I or Division III, an athlete’s body can only take so much without the proper fuel.

1.

2.

Eat a balanced breakfast. This means eating proteins and carbohydrates. Foods like eggs with whole grain toast. Maybe put some peanut butter on the toast and add some yogurt on the side.

3.

4.

Always have snacks with you.

Fruit snacks, fruit, string cheese, trail mix or granola bars are always good options. Dry cereal is also an easy one. Something that isn’t filled with sugar because that will only give you energy from sugar which won’t last as long.

Have a solid dinner within one hour after training. A meal with carbohydrates and protein will do.

Eating meat or eggs for a protein and having bread or pasta for carbohydrates are good.

Eat a “nutrient-rich lunch”. That includes lean meats with complex carbohydrates. These would include foods like chicken or turkey or pasta with tomato sauce and lean ground beef.

5.

Drink enough fluids. Water, diluted Gatorade or Powerade and chocolate milk for recovery. Being hydrated is key to performance and recovery.

All found on the NCAA website: http://www.ncaa.org/sport-science-institute/nutrition

Storm in Progress Photos by Austin Hronich

Reade Reiter

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Claire Johnson

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