By William Kim
Kristina Kyle was born to enjoy running. Her mother and Chris Kyle, Kristina’s father, affectionately called her daughter, “a running buddy.”
“When Kristina was born, we got a baby jogger and ever since she was six months old, I would take her out and she’d do races with me and she’s been into running ever since,” Chris said.
Kyle is a senior who was a two-sport athlete until this year. She made the decision to focus on one sport and has already earned accolades in this current season that haven’t been achieved in over 10 years at Springfield College. Her secret to success is easy to understand but so few have the consistency to set as a daily standard like Kyle has displayed this season. She describes her secret to success as a killer mentality.
“The mentality to know that I’m going to give it my all, push hard, trust in my training, my coaches, and that I want to work hard while enjoying the process as it happens without any crazy expectations,” Kyle said.
Kyle also benefits from the expertise of her coach, Anna Steinman. Kyle’s trust in Steinman is a critical factor to her consistent success.
“She is the best coach I have ever had out of every sport I’ve ever played,” Kyle said. “She really gets the athletes. She truly cares. She is fantastic and she knows what’s best for her athletes.”
Kyle’s unique, photogenic hand position during her running stride looks like she is giving a thumbs up gesture during her arm swing. Her running technique can be explained as an external expression of her internal emotions on display in regards to her enjoyment found via running.
“I just realized that running is definitely my passion,” Kyle said. “I love everything about running. I love the work. I remember when I was really little, [my father] would push me around in a stroller, and we would do 5k’s together and he was the one that got me into running. It’s become such a huge part of my life. I just know that my passion is in running, and I just wanted to do something that I really love for my senior year.”
To be mentioned amongst record-setting athletes from the Pride’s past comes from consistently setting an elite standard, something that can only be achieved by living a disciplined lifestyle where actions and words are aligned throughout the process.
“I just love to have that drive and always continue to push myself to get 1 percent better every day because I know that consistency and hard work are going to be the best way to achieve goals,” Kyle said.
In an individual sport such as cross country, teamwork may not be a priority on some squads, but the women’s team has made Kyle’s transition to full-time cross country a fun, positive experience.
“I think a huge reason why I love running so much is because of the people I’ve met along the way,” Kyle said. “The girls on the cross country team, especially the girls in my grade, or the seniors, made Springfield track and cross country absolutely amazing.”
Kyle has sacrificed and focused full-time to train for cross country this year, and her sweat equity has earned her way to record setting numbers. Springfield College is looking for Kyle to earn a couple more awards before the end of this season.
“I just have to believe, work hard, and enjoy the process,” Kyle said.
Photo courtesy of Springfield College Athletics