Ryan Kamp is one of the first freshmen in Northview history to run under 20 minutes for their first race. He’s a dedicated runner and a strong athlete.
Coach James Haveman sees this in Kamp as well, “He’s just a super respectful, hard working, good, fun loving, goofy [and] kind kid.”
Kamp has run cross country since seventh grade, when he decided to start running to follow in his brother’s footsteps.
Kamp doesn’t only run for school. He also participates in other running events like the Spooky Sprint 5k, which he’s been running for the past few years. Last year he placed third, and this year got first.
Running is hard and it can be difficult to get into the right mindset, but Kamp always keeps going. His mantra as he runs is, “pain is temporary. You’ll be done at the end of the day.”
Kamp knows perseverance is important. He works hard to keep his head in the game.
“It’s hard. You have to tell yourself not to give up because you want to stop, but you have to keep running,” Kamp said.
He also has bonds with the people on his team. The team made it more fun, and he said it feels like a family. He also bonded with his coaches, who enjoyed having him on the team this season.
Haveman sees a future in Kamp’s running. “Ryan’s kind of quiet at first, but he’s a really hard worker. I don’t think he really knows how good he could be, but with hard work and getting stronger he could be really really good.”
Kamp demonstrated his dedication to the sport while on a family vacation over the summer. He continued to run despite being on a break, and even ran 20 miles at one point. When he came back to summer conditioning to do the 10 mile run he was already prepared.
Word of Kamp’s persistent work got back to Haveman and he thought, “oh this kid’s going to be good.”
Haveman thinks that Kamp has the potential to make it to the top of the Northview record list by his senior year. He was close to making the Northview Top 20 list this year, and a good goal for next season is to make top ten or fifteen.
“He’s learning to push himself, he’s learning to pace himself. I think he always has a little bit left in the tank, and I think he knows he has a little bit left in the tank,” Haveman said.
