Jaden Krist carries on a Krist family tradition

Fourth Krist daughter signs to play volleyball at Sonoma State|

Jaden Krist is carrying on a family tradition as she ends her Petaluma high school athletic career and prepares to play volleyball and attend classes at Sonoma State University.

Jaden is the last of four daughters born to Jim and Geri Krist. All have played sports at Petaluma High School and gone on to college.

Last Saturday, family, friends and teammates gathered at the Krist home for Jaden’s official signing a Letter of Intent to continue her sports career at Sonoma State.

For Jaden, it has been an especially painful journey from freshman sensation to college recruit.

Considered a potential standout in volleyball, basketball and softball, she has had overcome Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries to both knees, requiring surgeries and countless hours of rehabilitation.

She injured a knee while playing basketball as a freshman and suffered a similar injury to the other knee in the Sonoma County League basketball playoffs during her junior year. The second injury prevented her from playing softball as a junior and cost the young athlete her entire senior volleyball season.

So impressive were her volleyball skills, shown when she was able to play for Petaluma High and the Empire Volleyball Club, that Sonoma State coach Bear Grassl recruited her for the Seawolves despite the injuries.

Before reaching high school, it appeared that Jaden’s future might be in softball. She was an excellent hitter and even better pitcher, dominating youth play.

But as she entered high school, coach Regan Robinson convinced her of the opportunities in volleyball and she developed a love for that sport.

She also played basketball and enjoyed that game until she kept getting hurt.

With her family background, sports were a given, but she acknowledges that part of the attraction has always been the extended family that sport, whatever it is, provides.

“When you’re with girls on a team, you just naturally get close without even trying,” she explains.

An excellent student on top of everything else, Jaden managed to make three sports, injury rehabilitation and academics work.

“There were times I would go to practice straight from rehabilitation and stay up late to do my homework. It wasn’t too difficult,” she maintains.

What it really became was routine.

After patiently working her way back into all three sports from her first knee injury, Jaden enjoyed an outstanding junior volleyball season and had just completed being a key component on a basketball team that went undefeated to the SCL championship when she injured her other knee in the post-season SCL tournament.

Having been hit by injury lightning twice might have discouraged most, but not Jaden.

“My goal was to go to college, and I never had a moment when I thought no, I can’t (come back),” she says.

Despite her injuries, the 5-foot, 11-inch athlete had several college choices. She says she made a list and Sonoma State came out on top.

“I like the school. I preferred to stay close to home, and I really like the coaches,” she explains.

Jaden credits her parents with providing the support she needed to not only get through the tough times, but to support her throughout her youth and Petaluma High career.

“They mean so much to me. They took me everywhere I needed to go from practice to all the games. Without them I couldn’t have done it,” she says. “I have a lot to be thankful for.”

Being close to family became even more important to Jaden after she saw how much sister Joelle, a softball player now in her final year at the University of Arizona, missed in family functions by being away from home.

Joelle played volleyball, basketball and softball for four years at Petaluma before going on to play varsity softball at Arizona.

Oldest daughter Jamie played four years of volleyball at Petaluma High and Jessie followed with two years of volleyball, a year of softball and four years of basketball.

The father, Jim, estimates that his four daughters played on a combined 120 sports teams for the Trojans.

Jim, who has been involved in his daughters’ athletic careers since before Jamie first played volleyball for the Trojans in 2001, says Jaden has made a good choice.

“It is a good fit for her,” he says. “The coach is very positive with her. He has been looking at her for a long time. He told me, he would want her even if she had no legs.”

Geri Krist has mixed emotions as her last daughter leaves Petaluma High. “It’s bittersweet,” she says.

“I don’t know what we’ll do. Sports have been how we plan our year. Now it’s over.

“Looking forward, life is exciting and wonderful. After many years of Jim working two and three jobs to fund the girls’ sports adventures, he will be retiring.

“Jamie and Jessi both graduated from college, Joelle will be coming home from Arizona this summer with a college degree and Jaden will begin her college experience at Sonoma State, just a 5-minute commute. We are very proud to say all of our girls will have college degrees. They are all successful and independent.

“Sports have contributed to this in many ways: They understand that being successful requires hard work. They are team players at work and at home. The old saying that ‘if you are not 10 minutes early, you are late’ definitely applies to them. And being healthy is important.

“We are proud of all of them.”

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