STALDER'S SIGNING CONTINUES REMARKABLE RUN

The moment seemed surreal for Kristen Stalder as she sat at a table in the cafeteria of Rogers High School surrounded by her swimming teammates, coaches, friends and family on Thursday afternoon. Signing day had been a long-awaited one for Stalder, whose journey to that point had been marred with obstacles that could and should (if you ask her doctors) have kept her out of the water. "This day means a lot," Stalder said. "My eyes were definitely tearing up. Like whenever I think about it, I'm like, 'Wow, I don't know if I could have done this, three years ago, two years ago, even a year ago. "Just that it happened is really amazing." The signing took less than 10 minutes, but it was a fitting end to what has been an incredible career so far for the Rogers swimmer. Her name is on eight of 11 records for the girls' swim team, and she most recently took first in the 100-meter freestyle at the 6A-West Conference meet on top of other victories she's had. But despite her numerous accomplishments, Stalder and her parents weren't sure if she would ever be able to compete at the collegiate level, which in this case will be at the University of Missouri St. Louis. It was never a question of talent or passion -- she's got both -- but more about concerns of her physical limitations. "Her freshman year, we didn't even know if she would make it through that season, then her sophomore year, too," Sarah Stalder, Kristen's mother, said. "She's always wanted to swim in college, and it's always been something in the back of her mind." Kristen Stalder has Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, and has since 2015. The disease is a form of dysautonomia, which affects the automatic systems in the body, like blood circulation and heart rate. From passing out at meets to having to leave school at noon each day, life was rough for Kristen for the first couple of years with the disease as it drained her physically and mentally. Sometimes her coach would have to pull her out of the water because she was too exhausted to climb out herself. POTS' challenges almost kept her from pursuing her passion in college. "Swimming in college did not even cross my mind until the beginning of junior year," Kristen said. "Before that, I wasn't functional enough to go to maybe more than one or two practices a week." She could race, but she couldn't really practice. Kristen knew that situation wasn't very realistic for college programs, especially Division I teams, to deal with, she said. Kristen visited mostly Division II and Division III colleges in Arkansas and even considered a school in Colorado, but in the end, UMSL had the best mix of academics, resources and financial aid that fit her needs. UMSL coach Tony Hernandez had no reservations about her abilities or limitations, he said. He knew he was getting a competitor and someone with great character, which is a cornerstone of the program he's trying to build. Kristen will be one of 11 freshmen women swimmers going into 2019 as Hernandez continues to build up the fairly young swim program that's only been around four years. It was reinstated after being cut from the school in 1996. Hernandez and Kristen both know there will be a learning curve because of POTS. She'll have to adjust to the new demands of a college program, and he's still trying to understand the disease and its effects on her. "I'm still learning about it a lot," Hernandez said. "That's something I've been talking to our athletic trainers about how we can build a program about things we need to monitor or consider we're creating a training program for her." Kristen's training routine at UMSL will be tailored somewhat to fit her particular needs as an athlete, Hernandez said. She'll still work out with the sprinters group during team training sessions, but Hernandez and his training staff will watch her posture during the sets, he said. "That makes me excited because that lets me know that they're willing to work with me enough to care for me to actually be a part of the team," Kristen said. She will be able to stay in an apartment that has a kitchen instead of a dorm, which is important for Kristen as she has to cook her own food because of her strict dietary requirements. Kristen plans on pursuing a degree in biology at UMSL and is leaning toward going to graduate school following her undergraduate studies. Her dream job would be to create artificial organs or parts for people to help extend their lives, which in part stems from her overcoming her own health problems. As far as the swimming goes, Kristen is just excited for the opportunities that will come her way because she knows she can handle anything that can be thrown at her. She's started some new treatment options over the past two years that have helped her overcome some of the symptoms associated with the disease. She gets acupuncture, which helps with her digestion and nausea she gets every morning, and she began getting IV saline treatments before her meets, which give her an extra boost of energy and helps her recover quicker. She's also gotten much stronger in the past couple of years, which has helped her endurance. Her strength coach Steve Conley, who has spent the past four years with Kristen, has always known her drive to succeed was there, but he noticed her attitude toward POTS changed once she realized she could swim in college. Conley has dealt with his own chronic injuries, stemming from his days in the NFL, and seeing what Kristen has risen above has changed his outlook on his own situation. "When I see her working out and overcoming POTS, it gives me the strength to overcome some of my own situations in life," Conley said. "I'm like, 'What am I complaining for? She's dealing with this, I need to be just as strong.' She gives me hope." It's exactly that type of inspiration and determination that made Kristen an exciting recruit for Hernandez. He thinks she can be a versatile swimmer for the Tritons given her background and be a big component of the team's relay and individual medley events. "What people don't understand is that she'll fight," Sarah said. "You have someone that is going to fight. I think she has a lot of ability to improve as her health improves."

STALDER'S SIGNING CONTINUES REMARKABLE RUN

ALEX NICOLL

Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette | 2/22/2019

PHOTO CREDIT: Charlie Kaijo