We could see it from an early age. She was racing big wheels with the neighborhood boys (hers a bad ass black, mine yellow big bird). She grew up tossing footballs, riding horses, playing wall-ball on the bus circle at Gladwyne Elementary. In high school she dominated on the basketball court and lacrosse field. She even "picked up" being a soccer goalie her senior year when Agnes Irwin first put together a team. People thought she had been playing her whole life. She lead both the basketball team and lacrosse team as a captain, and got a standing ovation when she won the coveted student voted athletic award at her senior year athletic banquet. She repeated it at Bates College when she played four years of lacrosse and led her team as captain her senior year. She got her introduction to NOLS doing a semester in Kenya her Junior year - climbing mountains and fighting parasites - enjoying herself all the while. Post Bates she earned a not-so-easy to score spot on the NOLS instructor course, was awarded with work shortly thereafter, and has been leading children and adults through the wilderness of the US - guiding and teaching, even since. She even added (as you may remember from this winter) teaching adaptive skiing to her roster - which had her on the mountain every day of the week for the past two winters. And this Sunday she will compete in her first ever Ironman in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, after 7 months of grueling training - always brushing it off like it was no big deal. Of course, if you've so much as used a public restroom stall next to me in the past 7 months you know she is doing this. Tomorrow I will board a plane with my mom and our best friends Liz and John, and we'll meet Jen, Chris, and Peebee (two NOLS friends also competing) over there to celebrate Jen's Birthday (Saturday) and watch her compete on Sunday.
I don't think I've ever been more proud of anything in my life. I bragged about it to a friend this fall that I don't see often, and he said "look at your face light up when you talk about it!" I wouldn't miss this for the world and can't wait to watch her excel at yet another athletic endeavour. And if this quest wasn't courageous enough she added fundraising to the challenge. Jen more than doubled her goal of $5,000.00 for The Gesu School in Philadelphia - an awe-inspiring-ly successful school -- all in name and memory of our very very dear friend Suzanne Stack. So Sunday as you stroll to brunch, do your laundry or take a jog in the park - picture Jen, Chris and Peebee as they give this super-human venture every ounce of heart, body and soul the have ever used in anything they have done up to this point. I know they will all finish with flying colors - as they say, "the journey is the thing" and each has completed their training, flown across the world, and sit ready in anticipation. I could cry thinking about it, and I know I will Sunday as we try to catch a glimpse of her at any stage -- my necklace from Suzanne around my neck as we cheer knowing she is watching over Jen and smiling at all she has done.
Go get 'em guys.
