Cindy Klassen: going for eternal gold

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever” (1 Corinthians 9:24–25).

Cindy Klassen, Canada’s Female Athlete of the Year for 2005, knows what it means to compete for the gold.

A seasoned member of Canada’s speed skating team, she entered the winter Olympics in Turin holding speed skating world records in the 1,500 and 3,000 metre events and was one of Canada’s top medal hopes. She is thrilled about being the fastest woman in the world at those distances.

While she broke the 1,500 metre record three times in 2005 and considers that distance her specialty, she particularly enjoyed breaking the 3,000 metre world record in Calgary last November with her parents in attendance.

Klassen describes herself as “very competitive, a fighter, and pretty determined.” Yet, while winning is important to her, she knows there is more to life than skating. “As long as I’m doing God’s will,” she said, “it will be okay.”

She went into the Olympics with the enthusiasm and encouragement of her family and community behind her, asking supporters to pray for good health to compete and that God would remain first in her life.

“Olympic competition is tougher mentally,” she said. “There’s more pressure, more media hype, more at stake. The whole world is watching.”

Ken Reddig of Klassen’s home church, McIvor Ave. MB Church in Winnipeg, and Fred Pauls of her alma mater, Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute (MBCI), designed a prayer card.

“We have prayer cards for missionaries who represent us in other parts of the world,” explained Reddig. “Why shouldn’t athletes with a faith story benefit from the same kind of prayer support?”

Reddig and Pauls also tracked Klassen’s Olympic results on the MBCI website.

This prayer card reminded Cindy Klassen’s “family” from church and school to pray for her during the Olympics.

She knew

As a young girl playing hockey in a boy’s league, Klassen knew she would go to the Olympics one day. Her certainty that this was God’s plan for her life was bolstered by the announcement that, for the first time, the 1998 Olympics would hold a women’s hockey event. The timing couldn’t have been better for Klassen, who graduated from high school in 1997.

It came as quite a shock then, when she didn’t make the team.

Klassen wasted little time on disappointment. She transferred her exceptional abilities to speed skating, where she discovered the lessons learned from tough hockey coaches – like “the drive to go really hard” – stood her in good stead as she stuck with the training and quickly rose to a competitive level.

In 2001, Klassen was surprised to come 4th in a world championship. “I was pretty new to the sport, and still learning.” It was the first time she realized how well she could do. Her success there gave her confidence in the next race, and the next. In 2002 Klassen arrived at the Salt Lake Winter Olympics after all. She won a bronze medal.

Coming from a team sports background, speed skating offers a unique opportunity to win or lose based solely on her own efforts. Klassen sees this as a plus of individual sports, but also believes having good teammates and practice partners is key for success. “If you’re having a rough day,” she said, “they can pick you up, and you can do the same for them.”

Parents Jake and Helga Klassen (back, left) are the real heroes, Cindy Klassen (front, right) said. “All those years we all played sports and my parents drove us everywhere. They never got any rest.” They, and her siblings, Cary, Lisa and Faye, joined her at the Olympics in Turin.

Grateful

Klassen truly loves what she does. “When I go out to skate,” she said, “it hits me how fortunate I am. I’m thankful for everything God has given me.” When workouts are really hard, she remembers that “God has given me this gift to be able to skate and race and he wants 100 percent of me.”

Confidence in God’s love for her transcends winning or losing. In times of peak performance as well as times of injury, Klassen claims the promises of Psalm 16: “I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken” (verse 8).

Klassen often listens to Steve Bell’s recording of this psalm, “I Will Not be Shaken.” It helps her focus before a race and reaffirms God’s care for her. “When I go to the line and race, I don’t have to worry about anything because it’s all in his hands. God is on my side.”

She has won many prizes for racing, but Klassen has the crown that lasts forever firmly in sight.

Ingrid Koss is a Winnipeg writer. She attends Cindy Klassen’s home church.