The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- May 10, 1999

End Zone -- Hockey player beats adversity to be everyone's humanitarian

BY KAY HAWES
STAFF WRITER

There are those who are overwhelmed by life's challenges and those who rise to meet them. Kristine Pierce, a senior hockey player at Rochester Institute of Technology, has used the hard times in her life to rise to the challenge, rededicating herself to what she says really matters -- helping others.

At the recent NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship, Pierce was named the winner of the Humanitarian Award, the annual award given to "college hockey's finest citizen." The award salutes one person who is exemplary off the ice as well as on it, who displays strong personal character and a commitment to scholarship, and whose contributions to his or her larger community -- beyond the confines of the game and team -- are worthy of everyone's attention. Pierce also is the first woman to win the honor.

Pierce was a freshman when her life changed forever. She discovered a lump in her neck, a lump that turned out to be Hodgkin's disease. The disease forced her to undergo chemotherapy and radiation, and it forced her to miss her freshman hockey season at Rochester Institute of Technology.

Through it all, she looked to her father and drew strength from his struggles with a rare liver disease. "He's truly an amazing man," Pierce said of her father, Larry Pierce, who has undergone a liver transplant. "I think I adopted his attitude when I was facing my problems. I'd say to myself, 'This is just part of the program. I'll get through this.'

"What he went through was so much more threatening and challenging than what I faced. I figured if he could get through that, I could get past my little Hodgkin's hurdle."

Pierce didn't just get past it. She fought through her treatments, her neck burns and her hair loss. And when it was all over, she found different reasons to live.

"Two years ago, before I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease, I volunteered and did what was required of me to get by," she said. "When I was diagnosed, I was mad. How could this happen to me? Why did God let this happen? I was a healthy 21-year-old who had the world in her hands.

"I soon realized that my life was about to change forever, but it was going to be the best thing ever to happen to me.

"I have come to realize that there are so many less fortunate people in this world and that no matter how bad things are, they can always get worse. What's important to me now is putting smiles on people's faces, helping those in need or making a difference in this ever-changing world."

Pierce has volunteered with more than 26 different organizations and won more than 13 different awards and scholarships.

She has worked in a local soup kitchen, been a mentor in a Big Brother/Big Sister program, organized and conducted a free hockey clinic for girls, counseled children with learning disabilities, served on a renovation committee for a cancer treatment center and served as a camp counselor at a camp for children with cancer. And that's just a sampling of her numerous volunteer activities.

Pierce also finds time to concentrate on academics. Now a senior in hotel management, she has been awarded several scholarships for her academic excellence.

The captain of the Rochester Institute of Technology women's hockey team, last season Pierce was an all-American and an Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference all-star selection.

But what she continues to be best known for is her attitude. "I was so impressed with the way she addressed a very difficult situation," said Rochester Institute of Technology coach Bob Filighera. "She did her best to remain a part of the team, even though the treatments took so much out of her. I couldn't think of a better choice for captain."

Pierce's mom, Mary Ann Pierce, points out that her family is a priority as well. "As busy as her community schedule, academics and athletics can keep her at times, Kristine's most respected value is her love for her family," the elder Pierce said. "She is very supportive of us in whatever activities we are involved in. If we get discouraged, she reminds us that 'losers make excuses, and winners find a way.' What sets her apart is always taking the time for an e-mail, phone call or visit."

Pierce considers her volunteer work as her mission in life.

"When I see the positive impact these acts have on others, I know why God dealt me the hand he did. And I would never trade places with anyone else."