Jacobs' Van Vlierbergen reflects on her amazing Heisman weekend
Lauren Van Vlierbergen was back in her comfort zone this week at Jacobs High School in Algonquin.
But last weekend is not one Van Vlierbergen or her family will forget anytime soon.
It was one of those weekends that will live in the archives forever. Maybe not a life-changing experience but most certainly a weekend that proves being a well-rounded student-athlete can pay off in a big way.
Van Vlierbergen, her mom Sheri, her dad Dave and her sister Kathryn spent the weekend in New York, where Lauren was one of six female national finalists for the Wendy's High School Heisman.
That accomplishment just in itself had Van Vlierbergen satisfied. The fact she ended up winning the award just added to an already incredible experience.
Earlier this week, the straight-A student with an athletic, academic and community service resume as long as a cross country course reflected on the experience, which included attending the Heisman Memorial Award ceremony at Best Buy Theatre in Times Square.
“The people I got to spend the weekend with and all the Wendy's people were amazing,” said Van Vlierbergen, who in addition to winning personal accolades and awards also earned a $10,000 donation to Jacobs from Wendy's.
“It was really fun getting to know all the other finalists, what they're doing in their communities and getting to know everyone's achievements.”
She accepted the award from Archie Griffin, the only two-time winner of college football's Heisman. She is just the second girl from Illinois to win the Wendy's High School Heisman, now in its 21st year. St. Charles North swimmer Kaylee Jamison won the award in 2006.
The weekend didn't lack for excitement outside the Heisman festivities. Van Vlierbergen said the group got to visit the Sept. 11 memorial, they saw the Rockettes perform, visited the Top of the Rock and got to go ice skating under the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center. They also rode a ferry taxi around the Statue of Liberty and, of course, there were an abundance of meals together.
“They definitely had an amazing schedule for us,” she said. “It was like 20 hours a day. We only really had 2-3 hours of downtime each day. I can't complain about it; there were so many things we had to fit in and they wanted us to get the full experience of New York City.
“The 9/11 memorial was really heartfelt. It's amazing to see that memorial that represents all the people who were there and our country in general. My favorite was ice skating in Rockefeller Center. New York is so beautiful during the holidays. It reminded me of Elf.”
When Van Vlierbergen, who will graduate from Jacobs this spring on the same day her older brother David receives his degree from the University of Illinois, first applied for the Wendy's Heisman, an act encouraged by her dad and Jacobs cross country coach Kevin Christian, she was unaware of the magnitude of the award.
“I had no idea when I applied that it was something that was on ESPN and that we'd fly to New York,” she said. “When I was announced as a national finalist my mom told me all that and that's when it hit me how big of an award it was.”
How big? Well, let's leave that to the explanation given by ESPN's Joe Tessitore on the broadcast of the ceremony.
“There were tens of thousands of applicants from over 30,000 high schools nationwide,” Tessitore informed the crowd in Best Buy Theatre and on national TV. “In fact, it's harder to be a finalist for the Wendy's High School Heisman than it is for the college football Heisman.”
The ceremony itself had its anxious moments for Van Vlierbergen, who was the first of the 12 national finalists (six females and six males) to be introduced to the capacity crowd in the theater.
“That made me a little nervous,” she said. “It was nerve-racking to be there in general and then I had to go up there first and introduce myself. I was nervous I was going to walk the wrong way or something.”
But as humble as she's been through the entire Wendy's High School Heisman experience, she remained during the wait for the announcement of the winner.
“We had been waiting all weekend to see who the winner was but no matter who won you were happy just to be there and be a national finalist,” she said.
Van Vlierbergen, who finished second in the Class 3A state cross country race this fall and is the defending state champ in the 800 meters in track, has always tried to be more than just an athlete.
“Going back to my freshman year I tried to get involved in as many activities as I could because I knew that in addition to athletics, academics were important and being involved and helping others was important too,” said Van Vlierbergen, who scored 32 on her ACT and will study business and run on scholarship at the University of Michigan.
“I tried to focus on my leadership and being involved in things as much as I could.”
Van Vlierbergen, already well known for her athletic accomplishments, has now taken a step up on the celebrity ladder. Among other things, she will be the future subject of an article in Sports Illustrated Kids.
“When I'm walking in the hallways I can't go more than a few minutes without someone stopping me to say congratulations and when I go to work out at Lifetime everyone's congratulating me,” she said. “There's a lot going on right now. I'm doing my best to handle it all and I think I'm hanging in there. It was really a relief to choose my college. That was the biggest decision ever.”
Jacobs athletic director Jeremy Bauer said the school couldn't be prouder of Van Vlierbergen's accomplishment.
“Every person there was highly qualified and just for her to be there was special,” Bauer said. “To win is just a huge honor.
“If we had quite a few like her it would be very easy to be a coach and an administrator. Her athletics, academics and community service all put into one person is very rare. She's one of a kind.”
And how.
jradtke@dailyherald.com