Oct. 11, 2010
Get to know a little bit more about 5-foot-4 freshman Lavinia Jurkiewicz. This Chicago, Ill. native was the 2009 Gatorade Girl’s Cross Country Player of the Year and was the Illinois State Champion at the 2009 IHSA Cross Country meet her senior year. Her name is also among Chicago’s record books as being the first girl in Chicago Public League history to win the State Championships as a senior. Jurkiewicz is one of 20 newcomers for the Badgers in 2010.
What is your nickname?
Since my full name is frequently mispronounced, my friends are always coming up with nicknames. Some recent one have been La La, Liv, and last but not least Vinnie (which makes me feel like an Italian grandpa).
What is your best talent outside of cross country?
I have a passion for Latin Ballroom dancing, and my non-academic dream job would to be a professional on Dancing With the Stars.
What did you do this past summer?
I worked as a camp counselor at a Jewish day camp in Chicago. Although I'm not Jewish, many of my close friends are and it was fun learning more about another culture. I loved (and still crave) the challah bread.
What is your favorite thing about Madison?
I love the energy of the city, and variance between the urban and natural parts of the city. Also, I love Madison's biker-friendly streets. Whenever I bike on the streets in Chicago, it is always a near-death experience!
What is your favorite class at UW so far and what class are you most excited for?
I am really enjoying my Spanish class and can sense my conversational skills (finally) improving. I am most excited for the upper level biology classes.
What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment in Cross Country so far?
I'd say my biggest accomplishment was becoming the first girl from the city of Chicago to ever win the state championship. As a freshman runner, I only placed 13th in the city of Chicago championship meet, so it was definitely a long and exciting journey from that to my later successes.
What are your expectations for this upcoming season?
I'm so thrilled to be a part of this team, and experiencing the dedication and talent this team has on a daily basis makes it easy for me to envision us having a lot of success this season.
What is something you feel you want to improve on for this season?
Probably getting more sleep! I'm working on putting my procrastinating tendencies behind me so homework isn't cutting into sleep time.
What do you like most about Coach Jim Stintzi's coaching style?
While interacting with Coach Stintzi, you can truly sense how he has your athletic and academic best interests in mind. Overall, there is just a great environment of trust and positivity between Coach Stintzi and the team.
Is there anyone that inspired you to run, or that you consider to be a hero of yours?
I'd say my inspiration for running comes from a variety of people in my life, and small meaningful things as opposed to one hero-like figure.
10 years from now, how do you picture yourself and what do you hope to have achieved?
In ten years I picture myself bilingual in Spanish, and happy in the career path that I hope to discover in college. My strongest interest has been biology, and so I could see myself finished with medical school in ten years,
