Becky: The Athletic Side



Becky: The Athletic Side

After watching the Olympic games in 1996, Becky decided she wanted to be a gymnast. Even at 3 years old Becky was not saying she wanted to try gymnastics, she wanted to be a gymnast. So she was enrolled in a tumble tot class. By the age of 8 she was training about 20 hours a week as a member of the St. Cloud Twisters.

At age 9, Becky and her family moved to Fountain Hills, Arizona. The increased time and financial commitments were no longer within reach for her and her family, so Becky had to end her gymnastics. So she tried dance, soccer, basketball, and softball.

As a child, Becky went on many camping trips with her family which often included long hikes. On October 26th, 2003, at age 10, Becky participated in a 10 mile "Cruise Against Cancer" walk in Tucson, Arizona. During the last couple miles, Becky said her feet really hurt and, although in tears, she still finished. Later, a doctor said the arches in her feet had collapsed due to a genetic defect. Walking any distance was painful for her. What a trooper!

In July, 2004. Becky had surgery on one foot to rebuild her arch, and in December she had surgery on the other foot. Each foot required 3 months of rehabilitation. Her doctor said Becky was the perfect patient, following her rehabilitation instructions to the letter. She spent most of her 6th grade year on crutches.

In the spring of 6th grade, Becky wanted to try Track and Field. The coach put little Becky in the shot put. She was 4 months out from her last surgery. At one of the meets the top 4 athletes from each event would go on a bus trip to an away meet. When Becky and another girl twice her size realized they made the top 4 in the shot put, they locked arms and jumped up and down in celebration. At another meet, they let Becky try the 100 meter dash. She was smiling as she crossed the finish line in last place.

In 2005, Becky moved to Northfield, where she continued playing soccer and basketball until 10th grade when she decided to pursue what became her true passion-cheerleading, which Becky would tell you, is in fact, a sport. Once again, Becky could use her gymnastic skills. Northfield had not had a cheer team for a while. That first season they started with five girls. Becky, being a quiet girl, would often look at the ground while cheering. The crowd did not take them seriously and often cheered over them, especially the "Jersey Girls" (girls whose boyfriends were football players and they wore their jersey number at each game). The crowd even threw chicken nuggets at them once.

However, that year the team made it to the state championship, playing their last two games in the metrodome stadium. They lost the championship game to Mankato West high school. Becky was no longer looking at the ground in front of thousands of fans.

The next year, Becky was the only one to return and some of the Jersey Girls thought being a cheerleader would be a cool thing to do. That second year, the cheer team grew to about a dozen members and Becky was voted by the team as their captain. By the way, Becky did not like football, she just liked to cheer.

Becky attended classes full time at Inver Hills Community College for her senior year. Once again, the cheer team voted for Becky as the captain. Becky made the mature decision to step down to co-captain because she was not in the high school on a daily basis. Many credit Becky for bringing cheerleading back to Northfield High School because of her persistence during that turbulent first year when she a sophomore. The Northfield News even ran a story about her regarding this leadership role.

Becky did not train as a runner, but she did occasionally complete 5K races, usually as a walk and jog finishing in about 40 to 45 minutes. Becky soon found that her passion was not on the track or even on the ground --she really wanted to skydive. So, for her 18th birthday, she went skydiving. She got to touch a cloud, she said. She wanted to do this again!

As a college student, Becky turned her competitiveness to academics. She made Dean's list both semesters at Inver Hills Community College, and at Arizona State University she became a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.

In Becky's senior yearbook her parents entered a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson: "Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." Followed by a message from her mom and dad: "What a great trail it has been so far. You're amazing! We love you and are very proud of you."

Blaze a trail in Heaven, Becky. You can now touch all the clouds you like!

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download