Get to know Niwot cross country coach Kelly Christiansen
NIWOT, Colo. — Kelly Christiansen has always been an extremely active person. For as long as he can remember he’s been involved in sports – football, wrestling, basketball, and most of all track – in fact, his talent and dedication to that last one paid his way through college. Growing up with several of his own siblings (he has a couple of older brothers and an adopted little sister) and usually between 8-11 foster kids running around has Kelly pretty accustomed to being around a bunch of kids.
Up until recently, Kelly was serving as a school counselor at Niwot High School, a position he had held for 10 years. He was a key player in track coaching as the Head Cross Country Coach and prior to that he was the assistant track coach. When Covid shut everything down, counseling students became a significant challenge. It was much more difficult to connect with students, and it was common for him to spend 6-7 hours a day purely communicating with parents. He wanted to work with kids more and leverage a practical, physical approach to health – By teaching healthy habits as well as developing character through goals and endurance. “I do believe there is a mechanism to heal and strengthen mental health through an active lifestyle.”
This year, Mr. Christiansen will take a position as Health and PE teacher and continue as the Head Cross Country Coach. One of his brothers has been a PE teacher for 20 years. Another teaches Industrial Technology in Middle School and also coaches cross country. Education runs deep in his family roots, with both his parents working in the local district and his rancher dad serving on the school board, when he and his brothers were young. His other brother also serves the community in a much different capacity, as a firefighter.
As Kelly looks back at where he’s come from, he’s excited to teach healthy habits to a much broader group of kids. “I always loved PE – could do it all day!” and he truly believes that exercise is essential to work-life balance. These days, he can be seen paddleboarding, mountain climbing, and running on the trails, surrounded by kids from over 50 surrounding schools, honing their running skills over the summer. He’s proud to be part of the Niwot High School Cross Country Team, with their reputation for National and State Titles and scholarships to Ivy League Schools! As he says, “it’s about building a sense of community and lifelong love for the sport, making new friends and being there for each other.”
His love of working with kids, a desire to teach and encourage healthy habits, and his skills on the track make this new position a perfect fit and we’re honored to have Mr. Christensen as an active part of our education community. A quote that he shares to inspire and motivate his runners is: 鈥淭he goal is not to be better than the other man, but your previous self鈥� 鈥� Dalai Lama.
This is an unedited user writing submission. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Best Version Media or its employees.