• The Hope Athletics Orange and Blue Podcast

  • By: Alan Babbitt
  • Podcast

The Hope Athletics Orange and Blue Podcast By cover art

The Hope Athletics Orange and Blue Podcast

By: Alan Babbitt
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  • Summary

  • Interviews and discussions with Hope College coaches and student athletes
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Episodes
  • Keegan DeKuiper and Annie Lockett: Hope Athletics Podcast

    Keegan DeKuiper and Annie Lockett: Hope Athletics Podcast
    Jul 2 2024
    When injuries sidelined Hope College’s Keegan DeKuiper and Annie Lockett from competition last season, they put aside their disappointment and focused on supporting their teammates and coaches. Their servant leadership drew praise from those around them, including their respective men’s soccer and women’s volleyball teams. They were announced as Anchor Award recipients in April at the 2024 Hope Athletics HOPEYs ceremony. The Male and Female Anchor Awards are presented to athletes who anchor their teams, inspiring their teammates to train and perform at their best. Annie Lockett Keegan DeKuiper DeKuiper and Lockett spoke about their experiences and lessons learned during Season 4, Episode 3 of the Hope Athletics Orange and Blue Podcast. They both said they relied on their Christian faith to help navigate a challenging time in their lives. “It was super tough, but God just has a way of changing your heart (and) changing your mindset,” DeKuiper said. Added Lockett, “Ultimately, we serve a God who turns these poor things into good things, and he does that through people.” Ultimate Teammates A goalkeeper, DeKuiper went from starting nine games as a sophomore in 2022 to missing the entire 2023 season. The exercise science major from Norton Shores, Michigan (Mona Shores HS) rose to the occasion, head coach David Blahnik said. "Keegan is the ultimate teammate,” Blahnik said. “Whether he is the star of the game or injured on the sideline you can always count on him to be a servant leader to his teammates and coaches to help in whatever way possible." Lockett earned American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America honors as an outside hitter in 2022 and helped the Flying Dutch reach the NCAA Division III quarterfinals. The business major from Mason, Ohio (William Mason) never saw the court in 2023 but still poured herself into her teammates, head coach Becky Schmidt said. Hope finished as national runner-up last season. “Annie is a selfless leader who was able to impact the team despite not having one stat this year,” Schmidt said. “Her willingness to put the team first, celebrate her teammates and bring wisdom and perspective to the team was inspiring." Written transcript of the interview
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    28 mins
  • Dylan Clem: Hope Athletics Podcast

    Dylan Clem: Hope Athletics Podcast
    Jun 17 2024
    Dylan Clem is poised to build a successful and fulfilling career as a structural engineer with a foundation set at Hope College and his hometown of Stevensville, Michigan. The All-American offensive guard has one more college football season to play, though. Clem is returning for a fifth season with the Flying Dutchmen this fall. Hope is coming off an 8-2 season despite one of the toughest schedules in NCAA Division III. The Flying Dutchmen’s home and season opener is Saturday, Sept. 7, at 1 p.m. against Loras College (Iowa) at Ray and Sue Smith Stadium. Clem appeared on the Hope College Athletics Orange and Blue Podcast and spoke about preparing for the upcoming season while also interning in the Washington, D.C., area. “I took that leap of faith to come down here and spend the money on rent, for knowledge and a little bit of money. The first four weeks have been great,” Clem said. “A lot of what Hope taught me in the engineering program has correlated, along with just the ability to work hard and that comes in the classroom and the football field and just honestly campus in general. That's just why I love Hope. Everyone has that mission to want to succeed, to want to work hard, to want to do all those things. I've really felt the presence of Hope in my life around here in D.C.” In April, Clem was named the 2024 male recipient of the Be Strong. Be True. Award at the annual HOPEYs ceremony The honor is presented to a junior or senior who demonstrates the true essence of being a student-athlete and embodies the Division III motto of Discover, Develop, Dedicate. This student-athlete is in high academic standing (minimum GPA of 3.5), plays a significant role on the team, and is involved in the Hope and Holland community. Career Builder The award was one of many for the Lakeshore High School alum. In May, Clem received one of two Senior Engineering Prizes from the Hope College Engineering Department. In January, he was chosen for the Academic All-America First Team by College Sports Communicators. In December, he was selected as an All-American by D3football.com. Dylan Clem Along his journey at Hope, Clem served as a team captain for two years, as a member of the Athletes Coming Together / Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (ACT/SAAC), and was part of the athletic mentoring program, Team 43. He also worked as a research student in Dr. Courtney Peckens’ lab. Clem expressed gratitude for Hope’s embrace of allowing student-athletes to follow their passions on and off the field. He said he did not always find that through his college recruiting process. “When I came to Hope, the first thing Coach [Peter] Stuursma said was ‘All right, let me get you to a football player who's an engineer.' He showed me Dan Romano who was probably the smartest person I know,” Clem said. “Ever since then, Hope's been that place where I felt like I could do it all. Coach Stuursma and all of our coaches really gave us that chance to succeed and gave us that chance to feel like we can do whatever we want.” Hope’s Engineering Department also set him up for success as well, Clem said. “The coolest thing about the Hope engineering program was that their intro class takes you through all different types of engineering. You'll do civil two weeks. You'll do mechanical two weeks. You'll build circuits and do electrical,” Clem said. “I really loved the bridge section of the civil and then we got to make concrete and crush it. I was like, that's pretty cool. I stuck with civil and I've loved it ever since.” Written Transcript
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    Less than 1 minute
  • Kara VanderKamp: Hope Athletics Podcast

    Kara VanderKamp: Hope Athletics Podcast
    May 28 2024
    H-Club Hope for Humanity Award Kara VanderKamp '95 poses for a picture with head women's soccer Leigh Sears and Associate Athletic Director Lindsey Engelsman. Kara VanderKamp ‘95 carries the lessons she learned on the soccer field and at Hope College into her missionary work in Niger. The 2024 H-Club “Hope for Humanity” Award recipient and Remember Niger Coalition CEO talked about her drive to support educational opportunities for youth in Niger (pronounced knee-jeer), the landlocked western African nation between Libya, Mali, Chad and Nigeria. “I think one of the things I really love about soccer is it truly is a team sport that everybody has to play at their best in order to be successful and to win as a team,” VanderKamp said. “You have to sacrifice for the team. As far as leadership is concerned, I think really trying to find the strengths of every person on the team and then drawing that out of them, I find that I use that all the time in the work that I'm doing now. I’m just trying to find the right people with the right skill set, then encouraging one another, being positive, and challenging each other as well to bring out the best.” VanderKamp’s interview kicks off the fourth season of the Hope Athletics Orange and Blue Podcast this summer. The Orange and Blue Podcast features interviews with Hope student-athletes, coaches, staff and alumni. They share their stories of academic success, competitive excellence and transformational experiences at Hope. Hope for Humanity Award Recipient VanderKamp received the Hope for Humanity Award in April on campus. The award is presented to Hope College alumni athletes who have demonstrated Christian commitment and service to others in their careers after Hope. It was first awarded in 1990 and is presented by the college’s H-Club, which consists of Hope alumni who were athletic letterwinners and other honorary letter winners. VanderKamp graduated from Hope with a degree in political science and an elementary teaching certificate. A midfielder on the women's soccer team, she served as co-captain during her senior year, was named to the All-MIAA First Team in 1993 and 1994, became the first Hope women's soccer player to gain all-region honors and ended her career as Hope's all-time leader in assists. The Remember Niger Coalition, under VanderKamp’s leadership, partners with 18 schools and serves over 5,400 students. Each year, more than 400 students graduate from primary school and matriculate to middle school. Remember Niger partner schools have a 90% pass rate on the national exam. During the past 15 years, 80 classrooms have been constructed in 13 communities, four solar-powered wells have been built, thousands of children have received school meals. In addition, 115 teachers receive training annually, and 400 boys and girls in primary school and 98 girls in middle and high school who would not otherwise be able to afford the cost of going to school receive financial assistance from sponsors. Expanding Education in Niger Kara VanderKamp kicks a soccer ball past a defender at Buys Athletics Field. As CEO of Remember Niger Coalition, VanderKamp leads the initiative to spread the word about the organization and its mission, raise funds and support, and implement, monitor and evaluate projects in Niger. She is actively engaged in leading the staff and serving on the board of directors. VanderKamp travels around the United States as a public speaker in churches, rotary clubs, schools and businesses. She regularly travels across Niger to visit each school partner and work closely with each one to ensure that the schools have what they need and students are receiving a quality education. She oversees annual teacher trainings in Niger, and she and her team evaluate and monitor the health and wellness of the students, making sure that students receive school meals and extra healthcare in emergency situations.”
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    20 mins
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