Kirsten Dier, Appleton (Patrick & Carol Dier)

 “When my double bladed skates first hit the ice sixteen years ago, a smile enveloped my face, though numerous pairs of skates, sticks, and gloves have come and gone, the simple joy of skates gliding over ice has never left me.  During mini-mites, the love of the game drew me onto outdoor rinks in sub-zero temperatures.  In high school, the same love inspired me to drive three – four hours round trip, multiple times a week, to practice with my AAA team.

 The thrill of skating on the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” rink last year, during the USA Hockey National 17/18 Olympic Development Festival in Lake Placid, New York, is forever ingrained into my memory.

 Hockey has never been just something I do; it has become a part of my very being.  Hockey has carried me across the nation, while teaching me teamwork, dedication, hard work, and perseverance.” 

School
Perfect 4.0, #1 in class at Appleton North
All advanced courses – rigorous college prep class
Student Council, Principal’s cabinet
National Honor Society 

Sports
First team All Conference, both cross country and soccer
Her classmates voted her, at Appleton North, “Top Female Athlete”

 Other
All State Honors orchestra for five years

 Community
Volunteered at local hospital
Taught French to elementary students
Worked with local youth orchestra

 Partners in Global Solutions – along with seven other teens, Kirsten trained the first ever Russian Future Problem Solving team and began a Community Problem Solving Project to address safety and security needs of Russians who live dangerously close to over 6,000 tons of aging chemical weapons.  Through this major project, Kirsten obtained used warning broadcast sirens, initiated a gas mask child sponsorship program and inspired civic activism by presentations to over 2,500 youths and adults.

Quotes

 Her cross country coach, Tom Phillips, states: “While the tool is yet to be invented to measure mental toughness, I wish to state with confidence that Kirsten Dier possesses more mental toughness than any athlete, male or female, whom I have coached in my career (I am a 60-year old teacher).” 

Her principal wrote: “If we took Kirsten’s accomplishments and divided them up among a dozen students, each would be considered a remarkable young representative of our community.  To encounter these traits and achievements all in one young woman is unheard of.” 

Kirsten will be attending Amherst College or Middlebury with a major in biology and/or religion.  She then plans to enter medical school with the desire to become a doctor.