Sports: Soccer, Lacrosse, Winter Track
Favorite athlete: Hope Solo or Megan Rapinoe
Favorite team: Philadelphia Union
Favorite memory competing in sports: If I were being completely honest I would say the snacks at the end of all the games are my favorites. But in any case, my favorite moments of actual play are those games, no matter what the sport, where it’s been a real battle just to stay even with the other team. But then you hold on and grit your teeth and dig down deep and your team is finally able to squeak out a win. Those moments of pure relief and joy and excitement following a game-changing goal really show off the character of your team, and they are the moments that I enjoy most: I feel connected to all of my teammates because this is something that we accomplished not as a bunch of separate girls playing on the same field but together as a real team.
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: When it’s cold out I like to wear a pair of purple fleece pajama pants instead of sweatpants or leggings to stay warm. I don’t know if this counts as embarrassing but everyone always stares!
Music on your iPod: I listen to a lot of mellow and happy music; some of my favorite artists include Guster, Two Door Cinema Club, Neon Trees, fun., and Anberlin. Then again, I also love clever rap lyrics and you can be sure to find me listening to Hoodie Allen or Childish Gambino as well!
Future plans: I am going to college for biomedical engineering and I hope to concentrate in tissue engineering and artificial organ development. It’s a huge field with a lot of potential and I hope to really make a difference in the lives of those who are on endless waiting lists for donor organs that may never come.
Words to live by: “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.”
One goal before turning 30: I actually have two: complete a marathon and finally travel somewhere outside of the continental United States.
One thing people don’t know about me: Every morning I set my alarm clock to really specific times like 6:43 or 6:17; I know it’s rather silly but I don’t like to wake up at any time that is a multiple of five.
Some athletes are known to get their teammates fired up on bus rides to away games. Others plug in the headphones and begin to visualize and prepare for the upcoming competition.
Upper Merion senior Karen Hranek has a fairly unique ritual.
“Honestly, on bus rides, I usually take a nap,” Hranek said with a laugh. “I tend to stay up crazy hours doing homework, so I’m pretty tired sometimes. I sit there and do my own thing and if I have something to say I’ll talk for a while, then go back to doing my thing. I find it helpful to be more quiet and less hyper before a game because then you have more energy on the field.”
Her approach seems to be working. The lone returning starter on the Upper Merion girls’ lacrosse team’s defense, Hranek has helped a young corps become a cohesive unit. That’s a big reason why the Vikings are riding a six-game winning streak (heading into their April 26 game at Cheltenham), are on the verge of their second straight winning season and have solid shots at both a top-three finish in the American Conference and an elusive District One playoff berth.
“Karen has solid footwork, good body position, she really works well with other defenders double-teaming and just really knows where to be,” said Upper Merion girls’ lacrosse coach Angie Yanocha. “She knows where to force the offensive player, trying to force them into a position to take a weak shot, and she does a nice job of helping the defense all jell together.
“She’s not loud, not boisterous – even in her playing style, she doesn’t really do anything flashy, she’s just really solid and consistent as a player.”
The learning curve was a steep one for Hranek, who returned to the lacrosse field last year after two years away from the game. Her freshman and sophomore years, when girls’ soccer was played in the spring, Hranek chose to play soccer. But once soccer was moved to the fall during her junior year, Hranek could finally play the two sports she truly loved.
“I was so thrilled when (soccer) was moved because I wouldn’t have to choose,” said Hranek, who also played tennis her freshman and sophomore year and ran winter track through 11th grade. “I was really happy to be back on the lacrosse team. I was a little rusty. It did take a while to get back into the swing of things.
“The first game they put me in, ‘Go ahead, do your thing,’ and it was pretty tough because high school lacrosse and middle school lacrosse are pretty different. But I had some great seniors and other experienced players to help me with the transition back to know what I was doing back on the field.”
While the physical aspects of the game came back quickly, it was the mental approach that proved to be most challenging.
“Getting back into the mentality of lacrosse was the toughest,” she said. “Throwing and catching, I was rusty at first but after a week or two, ‘Oh I remember doing this.’ Playing defense in lacrosse is different from soccer, but after playing a couple games and getting some pointers from the coaches and defenders, I was able to get back into it.”
And this year, despite having only one varsity lacrosse season under her belt, Hranek was selected by her teammates to serve as a team captain.
“She really did adapt quickly to taking on a leadership role,” Yanocha said. “That speaks to what the team sees in her that after one year. They felt highly enough of her that they voted her as a captain. There’s her athletic ability but also her commitment to school and to sports. Karen is one of those all-around solid student-athletes and the kids look up to her and admire her. She also worked really hard in the offseason and helped set the tone. When he held winter cardio workouts, she consistently came to those and set a good example for the rest of the girls.”
“I was really surprised, and honored they picked me for that role,” Hranek said. “I just try to lead by example and play the best that I can play and hopefully someone else will follow suit.”
Unfortunately, in the high-scoring game of lacrosse, defenders can be overlooked in favor of the attackers. It helps to have the proper outlook on playing defense, and being able to take pride in your own work, even if your name rarely finds its way into the highlights and headlines.
“In middle school I used to play center and offense more, and I was one of those goal-scorers,” Hranek said. “And the attention is nice, but on defense, we’re playing a very important role on the field even if we’re not getting the recognition.
“You have to give yourself or your fellow defenders a pat on the back. It may not be as rewarding as having the entire team coming over and raising you up in the air because you scored the winning goal, but I like to keep track of if I caused a turnover, got the ball up the field and we got the goal. Then you know, ‘That started with me,’ and that’s a really good feeling to know you’ve helped the team out.”
As much pride as Hranek takes in her efforts on the field, she takes even more in her work in the classroom. One of the top students in her class, Hranek is taking six AP classes this year and has been named one of three Valedictorians for the upcoming commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2012. She is a member of Student Council, National Honor Society and the Varsity Club, and participated in the Model United Nations.
“Karen is very humble, I only just found out she was a Valedictorian,” Yanocha said. “I’m very happy for her. She’s a great kid with a great personality. She’s very committed, she works hard in everything she does, and she’s involved in a lot.
“She really sets a great example. Whenever you have a student who is a good athlete and is also good in the classroom, it sets a good example for the rest of the girls. And it also brings some pride to our team that one of our teammates is the Valedictorian … and again, I’m not even sure how many girls on the team realize it because she’d never brag about it.”
Though she’s yet to select a college, Hranek said she’d like to study biomedical engineering. She’s got her list whittled down to a final three, though she admits she’s not likely to play soccer or lacrosse above the intramural or club level at college.
So the defender with the quiet, determined attitude has a few goals she’d like her team to accomplish before she hangs up her lacrosse stick. Those goals involve a few more wins, postseason play and one very specific victory that would truly be the icing on the cake of a stellar senior year.
“First off, a winning record would be nice,” she said. “It would be great to have a winning record two years in a row. If we can finish near the top of our conference and make it to districts, that would be amazing.
“And it would really, really be awesome to win on Senior Night. We’re all really looking forward to playing PW again. They’re a rival of ours, we beat them the first time we played them this season, and if we could beat them again it would be the greatest Senior Night ever.”
