Winning a single state championship is a tremendous achievement, but winning three, across three separate sports, as Summit junior Ella Hagen already has, is something truly unprecedented. And, she’s done it all with her parents serving as her coaches.
It’s been a fantastic experience. I’ve coached for a long, long time and so has (Ella’s father and Summit cross country coach) Mike [Hagen]. When we moved to Summit County, we decided that’s what we wanted to do. We wanted to coach at the high school level, which has been amazing. As for coaching Ella, she’s very coachable. She listens very well to our input with everything. It’s just been a super experience seeing how far it’s gotten her.
Ella’s mom and Summit’s nordic ski head coach, Eva Hagen
Ella feels similarly about the impact her parents have had on her athletic career.
It’s amazing and it has definitely helped me kind of be able to be all-in. They see every aspect [of my day] and they hold me accountable. They know when I’m going to bed and they know what I can be doing to prepare, even when I’m not training, and they hold me to that. They’re my biggest supporters and a lot of what they do – especially during races or before races – is keep me calm. They making sure that I’m ready to be there — not just physically but mentally, too. So, it’s been it’s an amazing experience. It definitely has helped me get to where I am.
Ella Hagen
Having that guidance has been valuable. Especially considering that, with Hagen competing at such an elite level in three different sports, she’s had to deal with a lot of stress, as she never has a true offseason to prepare for what’s coming next.
There’s a lot of pressure and aspects that go into [training and competing]. As athletes in this situation (competing in three sports), we’re putting enough pressure on ourselves already, but there are definitely a lot of outside sources, too. I think a lot of people don’t necessarily see the amount of work that is going into it, they just see what’s coming out.
Ella Hagen
For me, personally, it can be hard in the winter when I’m watching mainly indoor races and I’m watching all my competitors running so fast, so early. I’m like, ‘I’ve been skiing for multiple months now.’ But, I kind of have to be patient with myself and know that I’m doing exactly what I need to be doing to gain my strength and get to where I need to be.
Read the full article at CHSAA Now by cliking here.