Robinson Has Climbed To The Top Of Her Game
Article reprinted courtesy of Fargo Forum and reporter Eric Peterson. Picture courtesy of Fargo Forum photographer Dave Samson.
Moorhead - The weather was freezing, Liz Robinson had "really bad" sunburn and had recently vomited, yet she felt empowered.
Kilimanjaro, the highest point in Africa."I stood on the roof of Africa and knew that I had just completed something that was huge," said the Concordia senior women's soccer player.
Robinson said it took four days to reach the summit of the famous mountain in May 2013.
"It was all clouds and sky and sun and snow," she said. "It was beautiful."
Robinson is nearing the apex of her college soccer career with five games to play in the regular season.
The forward leads the No. 12-ranked Cobbers (11-1-1) with six goals and is tied for the team lead with 13 points. Robinson led the team with 28 points (13 goals) as a junior.
"She is passionate and she puts everything into the game," said Cobbers head coach Kevin Roos, whose team is in first place in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with a 6-0-1 league mark, good for 19 points.
The passion she shows on the soccer field helped Robinson as she neared the top of Kilimanjaro.
When she was about an hour and a half away from the summit, Robinson was able to relate the final stages of that journey to playing soccer.
"If you are in double overtime and need to get a goal, you need to leave everything on the field," said Robinson, who is from Minneapolis
"I left everything on that mountain."
The final day of the trek was especially difficult. After four hours of sleep, Robinson said the group she was with woke up at midnight and then hiked for 18 hours to get to the top of Kilimanjaro.
In those final 18 hours, Robinson felt sick and had times when she thought she may have to turn back.
Instead, she forged ahead, took breaks and made it to the top. Along the way, Robinson and the group endured multiple ecosystems.
"I never thought I would climb Kilimanjaro," said Robinson. "You have to be able to put everything out there no matter what elements are thrown at you."
Traveling is something Robinson has enjoyed from a young age. She visited all 50 states along with her twin sister, Lexi, and their parents before both turned 18. Tim Robinson, Liz's father, is from England.
Liz gained dual citizenship this week, becoming a British citizen because of her dad. Linda Robinson, Liz's mom, is a Concordia graduate. Lexi also attends Concordia.
Liz gravitated toward soccer at an early age due to her father. That's not the only thing she patterned after her dad.
"I had a British accent when I was a little kid, just listening to him," Liz said with a laugh.
Liz remembers her dad using the power of Harry Potter to give her good luck before soccer games.
"We had pretend spells that we put on their feet," Tim said.
Liz is a fan of Arsenal, which plays in the English Premier League. Soccer is a sport the family bonded since Liz's childhood. She and Lexi played on youth soccer teams together with both parents' support.
"Soccer really brought our family together," Liz said. "Seeing my dad at every game was one of my best memories."
That is why Tim is trying to relish the final games in Liz's college career.
"You kind of treasure every game now," he said. "My wife and I are making the attempt to get to every game that we can."