Many great athletes all have one thing in common; having personal goals that reach for the sky. Some are able to achieve them. Some fall short. Junior Katelyn Allen crushed her personal goals in diving not over a lifetime but in a matter of years. Despite juggling work, school, and softball, Allen excels in life and is the second best diver in division II high schools for the state. Nothing is too big of a risk for Allen. She is always up for a challenge, and is very successful. She is also a compassionate, hardworking teammate, and is very successful due to her compassion for people in her life, and determined to be the best person she can be.
Allen is a Northview “lifer” attending since kindergarten. She has made a difference in the community not only through diving, but also in the highschool as a student, in the gym powerstrength network, on the softball team, and as a friend. She’s played many sports throughout her career and has been a great addition to teams, to the classroom, workspaces, and communities in which she is present. Her personality helps light up a room.
Allen has been diving for Northview since 2021, her 7th grade year, and has been improving ever since. This year she was second in regionals, conference, and at the state meet. She has also been nominated for All American Diver of the Year, which will be voted for in June.
Something Allen is well known for is her sense of humor. She is a burst of energy on the pool deck. Friend and previous teammate junior Caleigh Jones finds training and practicing alongside Allen inspiring.
“Her dedication to the things that she does and not only dive, but softball too, and then her working out and stuff just inspires me to work out harder, do things harder. I would say she pushes you to be your best and then also she is very funny, so it’s fun to talk with her,” Jones said.
Northview employee and Katelyn’s father, Mike Allen agrees with this personality trait as he has witnessed it throughout Katelyn Allen growing up.
“She’s got a very charismatic personality,” Mike Allen said, “She’s always been kind of like a leader in her class. To her teachers, there’s been teachers who really wanted to keep her in their classes because she’s always willing to participate in class. She’s always willing to help all other students.”
Diving coach Kurt Mirandette sees some of Allen’s greatest qualities being her work diligence and coachability.
“Katelyn has a really unique work ethic. She’s a quality not quantity kind of kid. And she works really hard. She doesn’t put a lot of time into just sitting and relaxing. She’s very diligent and has a lot of integrity,” Mirandette said. “She never complained ‘eh, I don’t want to do that or I don’t want to do this’ or ‘oh darn it, I messed up.’ It was always ‘What can I do better? How do I get to the next level?’”
Katelyn’s father agrees his daughter is always going to give it all of what she’s got.
“She’s always gonna try for her to be her best, but also to help everyone else be their best,” Mike Allen said.
Similarly, Jones agrees, and has a lot of personal experience with this trait of Allen’s.
“She just pushes you so much. She doesn’t just care about herself. She cares about the people around her. She wants the people around her to like, do their best as well. She wants them to be as good as her, or even better. She keeps pushing them,” Jones said.
Swim Coach Rob Damuth has seen Allen grow in more ways than one and is very proud.
“I think she’s a star,” Damuth said. “To be a state runner up and will be a diving all American, is something really cool. It’s fun to see an athlete come into their own.”
Katelyn Allen believes it’s important to encourage future athletes, divers, and others.
“If your drive is there, definitely keep going because you’re gonna accomplish many things,” Allen said.
In a school full of students, Allen’s personality and work ethic make her stand out not only as a good team player, but as a role model for many. Achievements are great but sometimes the best reward is being a shining example for others along the way.
Leave a Reply