Kelly
Hahn is deserving recipient
of MHSAA's Scholar-Athlete Award
BY ED WRIGHT
Feb. 22, 2010, 11:15
p.m.
Put yourself in Plymouth senior Kelly Hahn's running shoes for a moment.
You finish fifth at the Division 1 state meet in the two-mile
run -- as a freshman!
You have three more years ahead of you to dominate your
sport and then undoubtedly four more years of college to match your
amazing running skills against the best in the country.
But during the summer before your sophomore year, your knees
begin to ache with every stride you take.
Before too long, the dull aches turn into searing pains.
You go to the doctor and he tells you that you have
Osgood-Schlatter disease, which will more than likely significantly
slow down your once-accelerating running career.
How would you deal with it?
Hopefully, half as well as Kelly Hahn has.
On Monday, the Michigan High School Athletic
Association
named Hahn as one of its 14 Division 1 Scholar-Athlete Award recipients.
The MHSAA couldn't have made a better choice.
While Hahn never again matched the time of 11:13 she posted
during her record-setting freshman season at Plymouth, she has
epitomized the term "student-athlete" during her four years of high
school.
And she has been a role model for every awesome athlete who will
have to deal with a heart-breaking hurdle.
"Osgood-Schlatter disease definitely taught me how to persevere
through adversity," Hahn said Monday night. "I learned that I wasn't
running just to win, I was running because I had a passion for it."
Along with earning seven varsity letters (three in track and
four in cross country), Hahn has excelled academically and in her
extra-curricular endeavors.
With less than one semester left at Plymouth, Hahn has earned a
4.16 grade-point average. She is the president of Plymouth's National
Honor Society and treasurer of the school's student congress.
She has performed over 270 hours of community service and serves
as a student leader of Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
She made the MHSAA's decision a rather easy one, wouldn't you
say?
"It is a great honor to be selected as one of the
scholar-athlete award winners," Hahn said. "I'm always trying to
challenge myself, not only in cross country and track, but also in
school. I like setting challenging goals and trying to meet them."
Hahn's love of running never subsided even when the pain
associated with Osgood-Schlatter disease persisted.
"I love running because it gives you an opportunity to push
yourself to your maximum potential," she said. "It's one of the few
sports that, no matter how old you are or where you are, you can
throw on a pair of running shoes and do it. You don't need a field, you
don't need a net."
Hahn's future is bright. She will attend the University of
Michigan beginning in the fall and pursue a degree in sports management.
But first she has one more season of track to complete in the
spring.
"And my knees are feeling good," she reports.
A happy ending.
No one deserves that more than Kelly Hahn.
ED WRIGHT COLUMN
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