Christina Pape Klawitter ‘98
Psychology and Legal Studies
From Grafton, WI
A Beloit College Basketball Reflection
Formative and consequential.
Two words that capture the sum of my Beloit College basketball career. While I’ve long ago forgotten the smaller pieces of my experience, the big and important ones have stood the test of time. Two are worth mentioning: 1) We won a lot of basketball games, and suffered a few heartbreaking losses; both outcomes offered formative and consequential lessons. 2) The success and failure that followed training hard or not hard enough, and the resulting messages about discipline, teamwork, and effort lit the way for my future. Although a short set of sound bites can’t capture the impact of all I learned playing basketball for Beloit College, I certainly appreciate the opportunity to try.
Winning as many games as we did was the result of chemistry, talent, good coaching, work ethic, and probably a little bit of luck. In my 4 years we won 3 conference championships, and made 4 NCAA tournament appearances, including the college’s first ever NCAA tournament win and first ever at large tournament bid. We suffered very few losses. The teams I played on at Beloit College were undeniably successful across most measures.
Our coaches used a variety of strategies to increase our competitiveness, toughness, and confidence. For example, we regularly practiced against men, knowing that if we could score on and defend their speed and strength, we could match almost anyone. We sought tough non-conference opponents, like bigger UW System schools and nationally ranked private schools. One year we lost a non-conference game to the (eventual) NCAA Division 3 champions, Washington University; if my memory serves me, we played them tough with a chance to win. Our coaches set high expectations and we worked as hard as we could to exceed them. While we, of course, had our share of fun, we were intense and focused. We were ‘all in’ for competing at the highest level possible.
I remember playing Illinois College, in Beloit, my freshman year. This particular game is memorable because we won 101-99; it was the highest scoring game I’d ever played in and to date, I think I still have a single game 3-point shot record from this game. I remember another game at Lawrence University. We were down by 16 at half and won by 16 points – the 32-point swing was a testament to how gutsy our team was that year. I remember the game where I crossed the 1000-point threshold. My very loyal family was loud and proud in the bleachers. I remember winning the College’s first NCAA tournament game, at Alma College. Making school history certainly left a lasting impression.
Among the handful of losses we did suffer, two were particularly heartbreaking. One loss was a conference championship game at Ripon. I remember their crowd being the most hostile and intimidating I’d played in front of; it definitely got to me. The other was the last game of my Beloit career, at UW Eau Claire. They were big, strong, and smart, and we just fell short. Being the end of my competitive basketball career, this loss still stings a little.
I believe the amount of success we had allowed the related life lessons to take root, very firmly. I would even go so far as to say that I owe nearly all of the professional and personal habits I have to my basketball teachers, at Beloit College and before, and to the game itself. In addition to a few key educational mentors, only my parents have taught me more and, lucky for me, they were invested in using basketball as a tool to teach me life lessons too.
A few notables…
- On making mistakes, getting beat, realizing someone is more talented or better prepared…learn from it, work harder, prepare more, move on quickly, and get the next one. I remember starting our freshman year season 0-5. I had never started a season with that many losses; our team confidence, and my personal confidence, was at an all- time low. Rather than throw in the towel, we got to work. We collectively just said, this isn’t good enough, and we got after it. We increased our focus, with stronger teamwork, and more effort; we ended up winning conference that year. I draw inspiration from this 0-5 season start whenever a project gets off to a rough start or I’m going through a rocky period of life.
- Surround yourself with talented people. Work together; back each other up; and help each other stay accountable. I played with some really talented players, scorers, rebound getters, defenders, assist masters, and shot blockers. On any given day, any one of us could have been the best player on the court. We won so many games because we had such a wide mix of skills and were each committed to contributing our assets. We got on each other sometimes, demanding the best from each other. We picked each other up, stepping up when someone was having a bad game, or a bad day. We weren’t competing for personal glory; the team wins and celebrations always tasted better than the individual successes. It was here that I learned what it meant to be a teammate, and what it meant to be accountable to my peers.
We mattered to each other, and still do, well beyond the court. I remember lessons my older peers taught me, about being a student, and about being a good person. We have celebrated birthdays, graduations, and countless other life events. We’ve supported through loss, sickness, and hardship. We’ve celebrated career accomplishments and other personal triumphs. Being part of Beloit basketball teams was, and still is, like being part of a very special community, a treasure for which I have Beloit College to thank.
- Stick with it, work hard, and prepare more than you think is necessary. My most significant memory, actually, is that we just worked. Hard. And we sacrificed some things, but winning was worth it. I can see breadcrumbs of this ‘work hard, stay disciplined, it’ll pay off’ approach across all of my personal and professional successes.
Transitioning from high school to college basketball was not easy for me. I wasn’t strong physically and my conditioning was average, which showed on the bigger size court. I hadn’t yet developed a three-point shot; and I was only an average defender. My freshman year performance reflected these realities and I wasn’t satisfied. After that year, I spent every single day of summer at the gym, shooting, lifting, and conditioning. I took major strides forward in performance, and I’ll never forget how it felt to pour myself into those workouts and for it to pay off. I had more personal success; our team blossomed. I drew on this set of lessons during my doctoral studies and during various phases of my career. I usually sum this one up with the phrase ‘put in the work’.
I have deep appreciation for Beloit College’s Athletic Department for finding me and investing in me. Mimi Walters, Ron Splan, Sandy Botham, Kristi Straub were coaches of impact. Educational mentors included Bill Flanagan, John Carton, Larry White, and others. Basketball peers, too many to name, included Kathy Selck, Becky Williams, Courtney Hellpap, Sarah Hendricks, Kim White, Marie Mullooly, Laurie Krull, Jill Krull, Mandy Koch.
The College’s investment in athletics matters – as a first-generation kid, from a family who wouldn’t have sent me to Beloit had it not been for basketball, I’m grateful. The experiences I had, basketball and beyond, were formative and consequential, and nothing short of life changing. Thank you, Beloit College.
Christina Pape Klawitter, Beloit College Athletic Hall of Honor
- Class: 1998
- Induction: 2010
- Sport(s): Women's Basketball, Softball
Diligence and desire. Christina Pape used those words as key points in her graduation speech to the Beloit class of 1998. They are also two words that describe the way Pape carried herself through an honor-filled four-year career in both basketball and softball. A four-year letterwinner in both sports, she earned First Team All-Midwest Conference honors three times in basketball and once in softball. In basketball, she started her career with the Most Improved Award and progressed to the Best Offensive Player in her junior season and finally to the Beloit and MWC Player of the Year as a senior. Along the way she helped lead the team to three MWC Championships while scoring the third-most points in Buccaneer history with 1,288. In softball, she was a member of Beloit’s first, and only, MWC Championship team in 1996 and helped lead the team to 61 wins in her four seasons. After graduation, she earned her Masters in Counseling and her Doctorate in Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis at UW-Madison. She is currently the Assistant Dean in the College of Letters and Science Undergraduate Academic Services Office at Wisconsin, where she follows her desire to “make a difference in a student’s life” by creating systems and communications which facilitate timely degree completion.
