My Carolina Experience: Kristen Taylor
July 17, 2014 | Women's Lacrosse
My Carolina Experience: Kristen Taylor
By Zoya Johnson, GoHeels.com
As the younger of two sisters born to parents who both played NCAA Division I lacrosse at Cornell University, you could say Kristen Taylor was pretty much born with a lacrosse stick in her hand.
For obvious reasons, the Taylor sisters began playing lacrosse at a very young age and as they grew up they would ultimately push each other to become better players and act as two halves of what people who knew them in high school called "the dynamic duo."
"She (her older sister Kelly) made me want to play at that next level. We were very different players but I think that we complemented each other really well," said Taylor.
When looking at potential colleges, the fact that Taylor had been playing alongside her sister for most of her life was something that caused her to have thoughts of breaking away. Ultimately, the bond would help Taylor make her colligate decision and eventually it would help her get back on the field.
"I really couldn't have imagined playing on the field without her there. It was always something where I trusted her more than anyone else on the field," Taylor says. "I always knew that she would have my back on the field and I wanted that again."
Once Taylor realized this and decided she could see herself at UNC under any circumstance she followed her sister to UNC as a top lacrosse recruit and the two more than lived up to the hype of their talents. Kelly played on teams at Carolina from 2006-09 with Kristen following one year behind from 2007-10. Natives of upstate New York, they both attended Fayetteville-Manlius High School in Manlius, N.Y.
In Taylor's freshman year in 2007, she was named UNC's Rookie of the year. She had 50 points as a freshman with a team-leading 43 goals and seven assists. Kristen Taylor's amazing start at UNC allowed her to claim a spot as one of the nation's top freshmen overall. In addition to all her athletic accolades, Taylor was named to the Dean's list both semesters. She was a member of the 2007 All-ACC Academic Team in women's lacrosse while also making the ACC Academic Honor Roll.
In short, Taylor's freshman year was an unqualified success. Her performance helped her secure a spot on the USA Lacrosse developmental team and at that point she couldn't imagine her career had anywhere to go but up.
However, going into Kristen's sophomore year, she realized she was getting sick almost every time she ate. She lost a dramatic amount of weight and fueling herself for the rigors of lacrosse training became almost impossible. At the time it appeared she had Celiac Disease and it was thought that the only known treatment, a gluten free lifestyle, would be the answer to her prayers. The hope was that Taylor would return to normal but her eventual diagnosis proved to be much more complex than originally assumed.
Several months later, however, the doctors at UNC diagnosed Kristen with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). The POTS was causing Kristen to black out, feel dizzy and feel constantly fatigued. All of these symptoms in turn made it extremely difficult for her to play lacrosse and imperative that she find the root of her condition.
"I'd gone to doctors everywhere and for the doctors at UNC to be able to identify my POTS and be able to do that type of testing was amazing and that's really something I will always be grateful for," she said. "They didn't think twice about continuing to find the root of my symptoms and they weren't going to stop until they found out.
"My parents would never have let me go back down to school had my sister not been there as someone that they knew would always have my best interest in mind. She would keep me honest and was very protective, almost to the point where it was very hard on her to watch me go through certain elements of the struggles with my health. The rest of my teammates were so supportive and were willing to do whatever to help me get back to full health and just keep an eye out for me. The coaches were willing to try to let me continue to play through some of these difficult obstacles and always gave me the opportunity to improve."
Although the diagnoses of Celiac Disease and POTS did not allow Taylor to have the collegiate experience she had initially hoped for, she feels it did make her a stronger person in the long run. Having obtained a degree from a prestigious university like Carolina despite all of her medical obstacles while continuing to play lacrosse at such a high level meant that much more to her because of the obstacles she faced. The support system Taylor had while at UNC not only allowed her to find answers for her health challenges, it allowed her to thrive despite them.
Taylor's participation in the Richard A. Baddour Carolina Leadership Academy opened her eyes to just how much common ground she had with all of her peer athletes regardless of sport. Through the academy, Taylor realized the underlying drive within them all was a commitment to winning off and on the field as well as to bringing out the best in every teammate they interacted with regardless of their different motivation.
According to Taylor, the 360-degree feedback that she received through the Leadership Academy allowed her to effectively communicate with her teammates when she was at Carolina and has helped her continue to do so to this day. Taylor now works with Nike, and the global giant happens to do a similar evaluation with its employees every year. The feedback she receives through the evaluation has allowed her to refine her communication with individual employees while continuing to do the things her peers appreciate.
"Everyone has different ways that they respond to leadership and guidance. Having the ability to approach each different relationship to get the best out of them is intangible," says Taylor.
The Leadership Academy is something Taylor feels set her apart from all the other athletes she now works with but it is not the only thing she took away with her from her experience.
"I would honestly say that there is no way to compare the experience I got at North Carolina because it was so well rounded. Obviously you graduate with an amazing academic resume by earning a degree from Carolina, but it is also the culture at UNC that's special. It has the perfect balance of striving for the highest level in athletics but also places a priority on academics to really prepare you for life after college and life after Division I sports," she says. "To any incoming athlete, I would say enjoy every year as its own because every team will have its own dynamic and every team will have different successes and different end results. If you are constantly looking towards the next year you will never be able to appreciate the little wins along the way."