Jasmine Hanson - No Mountain Too High

Feature by Larry Scott

Make no mistake, Jasmine Hanson's lengthy to-do list includes some ambitious goals, for sure, some already checked off but none looming larger than her quest to scale the highest free standing mountain in the world next May. It the stuff of dreams for most of us, but going the distance is second nature to the adventurous Hanson.

A junior from Albert Lea, Hanson competes in the distance events and breaststroke for the Concordia women's swimming and diving team. She also sets an admirable example for her fellow Cobbers, always there to lean on.

"I like practice," Hanson said. "Our team is really close, and it's fun to see them every day. I like to think I'm a leader. I'm outspoken, and I think the girls know they can always come to me."

Hanson has also made a huge imprint on coach Julie Lucier.

"We recruited her for the distance events," said Lucier. "She's such a hard worker, including threshold, heart rate and technique. She's always listening to ways she can improve and she's very willing to embrace new experiences."

That Hanson may have other interests beyond the pool fits Lucier just fine.

"At Concordia, we want our athletes to be students first, but we also want them to compete. We want to have a competitive team, and when we practice I want them to focus on what we are doing, but I want them to be well-rounded.

"None of my athletes have been pro swimmers when they left here and I know that probably none of them ever will. It doesn't mean that they're not good athletes, but they are at Concordia to be students first and athletes second. I don't want swimming to be my whole life, and I don't think it's healthy for them, either."

Lucier insists Hanson brings much to the Cobber program.  "She's unique, the kind of person you can't fit into one box. It's great to have people like her on the team, because when we throw new things at them they handle it well. She helps teammates in her lanes by being positive and encouraging, and she's a good role model." 

Always eager for the next great challenge, Hanson got a jump start on her college career.

"She came to us early in her senior year (at Albert Lea High School) through the PSEO program, and then decided to stay," Lucier said. "She was a resident student here her first year. It's a very unique experience that very few athletes choose to take."

"I came to college a year early," Hanson said. "I swam (at Concordia) and ran track in high school the same year; I thought that was cool. I ran the in mile in track and swam the mile, too."

Before the Hanson family could stage a fitting going away party for Jasmine, however, much of their world came crashing down when a tornado roared through Albert Lea.

"We lost the family farm in July of 2010, right before I came here. No one was at home, luckily, but it was really hard to leave my family. A lot of people in the community were really sad and it drug them down. It opened my eyes, and ever since then I've wanted to do everything that's been thrown my way."

A Biology major and a Neuroscience minor, Hanson admits the mystery of science has a special appeal for her. "I'm pre-chiropractic, but I'm really into biology research, like the Devil's Graveyard and the vortexes, including the Bermuda Triangle." 

Last summer Hanson took advantage of a two-week biology research opportunity sponsored by Concordia and spent two weeks on a dig in Eastern Montana. "It was an amazing experience. I don't think many people can say, 'I'm a paleontologist.' I felt really honored I got to go."

A month-long field study course through Concordia will take her to the continent of Africa this spring. "We will study the ecology of Tanzania, including global-warming."

Her summer adventure will also afford her the rare chance of to fulfill one of an adventurer's biggest dreams, to scale Mount Kilimanjaro, which soars magnificently 19,308 feet above the earth's surface. The high elevation, low temperature and occasional winds will present a thorough challenge to Hanson and his climbing pals.

"We had to apply, and Julie is helping me work on some metabolic exercises in swimming. There is a group of 21 of us. I'm really excited, I'm really into adventure, and I don't get scared very often, especially after the tornado. I like to experience something different, everything life can offer."   

While Hanson's athletic experience will serve her well this in Africa, she admits balancing the student and athlete roles in the student-athlete equation can be difficult. "It's (especially) hard with science, with the labs.  

She appreciates the benefits, however.

"I've learned time management, to speak out for my group and (how to) just be a leader. That was a big thing for me. It's also great to be in shape, because I do triathlons, too."

Hanson admits it took sometime adapting to her new home as a freshman, but she has no regrets, and there will be some separation anxiety when it's time to leave Concordia after next year.

"I've had so many opportunities as a Cobber that I wouldn't have had anywhere else, and I'm becoming the person I always hoped I'd be."