By FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com
Danie Kelso’s story is not all that much different than thousands of other athletes.
She has had coaches who coached her, coaches who inspired her, coaches who pushed her, coaches who motivated her, coaches who encouraged her and coaches who helped put her on the path to success.
The roles of many of her coaches spilled over into various categories.
The recent St. Joseph-Ogden graduate has committed to Millikin University, in Decatur, to continue her track and field career.
The decision, however, didn’t fulfill a lifelong dream.
“I got a few letters from a couple different colleges approaching me about running, but I was never very interested,” Kelso said. “By about January of my senior year, I knew that this was something I wanted to do.”
Kelso had a star-studded running career, which started before she reached high school. She ran on a state runner-up relay while in junior high and was part of a state championship relay team in high school.
The constant throughout her running career is the contributions from those who were called, ‘Coach.’
“In middle school cross-country, Coach (Corey) Plotner and McD (John McDannald), had a huge impact on me as a runner,” Kelso said. “They pushed the team to be the best we could and to keep going when it gets hard, but to also have fun while doing it.”
Kelso ran cross-country through her freshman year at SJ-O, when she decided to focus her attention on being a sprinter in track.
“Even after I decided to no longer continue running cross-country, I took these life lessons with me to track and life in general,” Kelso said. “Cross-country helped me build up my character.
“The middle school track coaches were Mr. (Grant) Risley and Mr. (Zach) Steele. My passion for track started while being coached by them and they set the foundation for the rest of my running career.”
Kelso’s high school coaches picked up where her predecessors left off.
“Going into high school, my coaches consisted of Mr. (Jason) Retz, Ms. (Kelly) Steffen and Matt Umbarger,” Kelso said. “These coaches pushed me to be the best athlete that I could possibly be and helped me see my potential.
“Throughout all of high school, I felt very cared about and loved by the coaching staff and I wouldn’t be the runner I am today without their support.”
The impact of each coach was tremendous, Kelso said, but one person in particular played a recurring key role.
“Ms. Steffen had the greatest impact on me, as a runner and as a person,” Kelso said. “She has been a role model for me and I am so grateful to have had her as a coach and a teacher.”
Despite Kelso’s contributions to the Spartans’ program, continuing to run after high school was not a long-time goal.
“I actually did not have the plan of running after high school,” Kelso said. “I have always been more focused on starting my path to being a nurse more than anything.”
What changed, she said, was discovering a place where she felt right at home.
“My recruitment process was pretty simple, in all honesty,” Kelso said. “On my visit to Millikin, I met a few coaches and some of the teammates and I loved the environment. It almost reminded me of SJ-O.
“I was convinced pretty quickly after meeting everyone there and I started envisioning myself on the team as a sprinter. After visiting the Millikin track team, I was set on continuing my running career.”
Competing in college became more of a priority for Kelso after her senior season was cut short before it began due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I am heartbroken by the way my last high school track season ended, but this taught me to never take anything for granted,” Kelso said. “I didn’t know that when I crossed the finish line (as a junior) it would be my last time. That’s why it’s so important to give all you have, every chance you have.
“Track has shaped my character in many ways and I have learned some hard and good lessons from this sport. Everything I’ve achieved has been through hard work and sacrifice. I’ll carry on these lessons in life.”
Kelso’s last high school race on an outdoor track was the one that enabled her to gather a state championship medal.
She ran the leadoff leg for the 800-meter relay and was followed by Atleigh Hamilton, Hailey Birt and Maclayne Taylor. Anchor runner Taylor was the lone senior on the foursome, which was timed in 1 minute, 44.81 seconds.
In all, Kelso earned two state medals during high school track. In junior high, she ran on the second-place 1,600-meter relay as a seventh-grader.
Kelso said Millikin met all of her needs as she looks to the future.
“I picked Millikin because of their great nursing program,” she said. “It is also very close to home. Being able to come back and see my family is very important to me.
“They have a small campus (about 2,000 students) and this is also very appealing to me. Millikin’s track team was really just the icing on the cake. I’m thankful to find a school with the major I need and great athletics.”
As she conducted her college search, Kelso had a single-minded purpose.
“All of my college searching was surrounded by the school’s nursing program,” she said. “I didn’t really look into track programs or communicate with other schools about running.
“After deciding to attend Millikin University when I was accepted into their nursing program, running track practically just fell into my lap.”
There was a mutual interest.
“The first coach that really reached out to me and pursued me was Andrew Craycraft, the director of Millikin Track and Field,” Kelso said.
Kelso’s ultimate life goal, she said is “working as a registered nurse in either labor and delivery or in the NICU.”
She was involved in a multitude of activities as a youngster, including softball and cheerleading, before finding a favorite sport with sprinting.
“Once running came into the picture, I focused on that more than anything,” Kelso said.
Coaches helped to foster her love for running.
“I started to focus on track mostly because of my passion that grew for sprinting throughout the years,” Kelso said. “I just wanted to be the best that I possibly could. I loved the feeling after a good race, nothing beats it.
“The appeal of track and field was the team environment and the satisfaction of seeing your times drop from meet to meet. Once I first started running track in middle school, it became first on my list of priorities.”
She didn’t consider herself a natural.
“It took me a while to see the talent and potential that I have,” Kelso said. “I used to always think of myself as the ‘underdog’ or just a few steps behind my teammates, but as I made it into high school, the coaches really lifted me up and they believed in me.”
The coaches showed their support, not just with words, but also by actions.
“They trusted me with a lot, especially my freshman year when they decided to have me lead the 4×4 relay at state prelims,” Kelso said. “There was a lot of pressure placed on me by going out of the blocks and starting a relay at state.
“By doing this, my confidence was boosted. Not every freshman gets a chance to run at state, but the coaches believed in me and this made me believe in myself.”
Kelso didn’t get the opportunity to run in the state finals as a freshman, but she knew nonetheless that she could compete on the state’s largest stage.
Her teammates knew it, too, voting her as the team’s Spartan Award winner as a ninth-grader.
After stepping away from the track for a couple months this spring during the pandemic, Kelso has resumed her workouts.
“Once the track season was officially over, I decided to take a break and focus on the end of the school year and let my body rest for a while,” she said. “Once June started, I began to get back into shape.
“Ms. Steffen creates workouts for me to do on the track, and I’ve also been running some distance as well to build up some endurance.”
Throughout the years, Kelso has learned the value of hitting the weights.
“Lifting was a big part of my growth as a sprinter,” she said. “I gained so much strength and speed from lifting in the weight room. I also built up my confidence in the process.
“Lifting was my favorite part of practices at times. I am proud of the gains I made by lifting and I wouldn’t be the sprinter I am without strength training.”
Kelso hit a squat max of 230 pounds, but added, “I was shooting for much higher during my senior year. It is disappointing to not have been able to see what more I could have done.
Now that she has signed a letter of intent with Millikin University, Kelso has four more years to continue seeing what she can do.
