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Q&A: Gophers Jon Christenson Says His Mom Cried When He Was Awarded a Scholarship
Gophers Jon Christenson Says His Mom Cried When He Was Awarded a Scholarship
By Chris Monter
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/278555?referrer_id=388419
Jon Christenson, a 6-foot-4, 306-pound center from Minnetonka (Minn.) High, has gone from being a preferred walk-on to a starting scholarship offensive lineman at Minnesota.
Gopher Hole caught up with Christenson after practice to learn more about the upcoming season, becoming a scholarship player and being a student-athlete at Minnesota.
Gopher Hole: What are the expectations, individually and team-wise for this season?
Jon Christenson: For me, the expectations definitely would be to be the best that I can be. I am shooting right now for All-Big Ten. Obviously, you would go from trying to win the starting spot to All-Big Ten, All-American. Right now, I have a starting spot and I am hopefully going to maintain that, but the one good thing about this is that we have great competition. I have great people pushing me behind me, so whatever happens I know Coach Kill and Coach Limegrover are going to play the best people on the field. As far as the team expectations, we are going for as high as we can go. We don't expect to lose a game and if we did, we would lose them. That is the attitude that you have to go into the game with. Absolutely determined that no matter who you play, that you can play with them and beat them, so that is our expectations. They are just flying high.
Gopher Hole: You played a couple of different positions on the offensive line and now it seems like you are centered on one spot. Is that a good feeling knowing you know where you are going to be rather than playing several spots?
Jon Christenson: It is. Versatility is a good thing, but also being able to consistently practice one position has been very good for me. I really settled into center and am enjoying that a lot, so I definitely would say that center is very comfortable for me now and I'm glad that I am there.
Gopher Hole: Would there be a chance if there some injuries at guard would you move over there or are you pretty much just a center now?
Jon Christenson: Right now, I think that I am anchored at center. That would a question for Limegrover. I don't make that decision, but I'll go wherever they need me, but definitely right now I think that I am pretty anchored at center.
Gopher Hole: Back in high school, you had some other opportunities at some different colleges, but you decided to walk-on to Minnesota. How hard of a decision was that to do?
Jon Christenson: You know, it wasn't at all. It is a very long story, actually. My whole recruiting process, but it just turned out that the opportunity to come here open up just a few days before signing day and I don't even know what to tell you. I was just so clear that this was where I was supposed to be and ever since I have been here, I have been just so blessed and I can't believe that I am playing for the hometown team. I love it. I absolutely never look back. It has been so awesome playing for the Minnesota Gophers.
Gopher Hole: When did you hear word that you were being awarded a scholarship?
Jon Christenson: That happened sometime mid-July, I think. Coach Kill let me know. It was really a blessing to me, too, because I was really excited about that. That was obviously something that I worked towards and was very pleased with that,
Gopher Hole: What was the reaction of your family and friends when you gave them the good news?
Jon Christenson: My mom started crying. She was in a bicycle shop when I called her. She was pretty excited about it and my dad was really excited. There were just ecstatic as well as I was. It was really neat.
Gopher Hole: It is also saving them some money, right?
Jon Christenson: Yes, indeed. (Laughing). Definitely.
Gopher Hole: What things have you really been working on since the season ended to be ready for hopefully a really big year?
Jon Christenson: A lot of flexibility. A lot of squats and quickness. That is always something that that O-lineman need is very powerful legs, because that dictates how you play. Everything is from the waist down. If you can't hold your arms up, it doesn't matter how strong you are. That has been the one big thing. Staying flexible and really getting my legs a lot stronger was a big emphasis of mine in the offseason.
Gopher Hole: One of the first times I ever saw you was at the Gopher Big Man Camp and you were named co-offensive MVP at the Gopher Big Man Camp and won the "Tug of War" event. If someone had told you that a few years down the road that you would be the starting center at Minnesota, what would you have thought?
Jon Christenson: I don't know. If someone said that, you just take it with a grain of salt. Every day, you just have to plug ahead and give it everything that you got, no matter what happens, happens. I definitely would not have put it out of the reach, but I sure wouldn't have been expecting it, so it has truly been a blessing being able to give all I have gotten.
Gopher Hole: I know that academics were very important to you in high school and I am assuming they still are. How do you divide your time to be not only an athlete, but a student-athlete? How time-consuming is all the stuff that you do?
Jon Christenson: Right now, I am biochemistry/pre-med, which is incredibly time-consuming. It is one of those things that you have to make sacrifices and sometimes cut social time and really prioritize stuff. I don't have a Facebook or Twitter. I hardly text. I just don't waste time. I can't waste time. It has really established a very disciplined lifestyle in me, but it is very hard in same way.
Gopher Hole: Do you think that dedication in academics helps you as an athlete because you have to be dedicated to be a standout player at the Big Ten level?
Jon Christenson: Absolutely. That is one of the things that Coach Kill talks about is that if you are accountable in one area of your life, you are accountable in all the others and that is so true. I have really tried to establish being disciplined in every area of my life, whether it be mentally, spiritually or physically. That is absolutely important. To slip up in one area because other places start to slide. I would definitely say that correlates on the field.
Gophers Jon Christenson Says His Mom Cried When He Was Awarded a Scholarship
By Chris Monter
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/278555?referrer_id=388419
Jon Christenson, a 6-foot-4, 306-pound center from Minnetonka (Minn.) High, has gone from being a preferred walk-on to a starting scholarship offensive lineman at Minnesota.
Gopher Hole caught up with Christenson after practice to learn more about the upcoming season, becoming a scholarship player and being a student-athlete at Minnesota.
Gopher Hole: What are the expectations, individually and team-wise for this season?
Jon Christenson: For me, the expectations definitely would be to be the best that I can be. I am shooting right now for All-Big Ten. Obviously, you would go from trying to win the starting spot to All-Big Ten, All-American. Right now, I have a starting spot and I am hopefully going to maintain that, but the one good thing about this is that we have great competition. I have great people pushing me behind me, so whatever happens I know Coach Kill and Coach Limegrover are going to play the best people on the field. As far as the team expectations, we are going for as high as we can go. We don't expect to lose a game and if we did, we would lose them. That is the attitude that you have to go into the game with. Absolutely determined that no matter who you play, that you can play with them and beat them, so that is our expectations. They are just flying high.
Gopher Hole: You played a couple of different positions on the offensive line and now it seems like you are centered on one spot. Is that a good feeling knowing you know where you are going to be rather than playing several spots?
Jon Christenson: It is. Versatility is a good thing, but also being able to consistently practice one position has been very good for me. I really settled into center and am enjoying that a lot, so I definitely would say that center is very comfortable for me now and I'm glad that I am there.
Gopher Hole: Would there be a chance if there some injuries at guard would you move over there or are you pretty much just a center now?
Jon Christenson: Right now, I think that I am anchored at center. That would a question for Limegrover. I don't make that decision, but I'll go wherever they need me, but definitely right now I think that I am pretty anchored at center.
Gopher Hole: Back in high school, you had some other opportunities at some different colleges, but you decided to walk-on to Minnesota. How hard of a decision was that to do?
Jon Christenson: You know, it wasn't at all. It is a very long story, actually. My whole recruiting process, but it just turned out that the opportunity to come here open up just a few days before signing day and I don't even know what to tell you. I was just so clear that this was where I was supposed to be and ever since I have been here, I have been just so blessed and I can't believe that I am playing for the hometown team. I love it. I absolutely never look back. It has been so awesome playing for the Minnesota Gophers.
Gopher Hole: When did you hear word that you were being awarded a scholarship?
Jon Christenson: That happened sometime mid-July, I think. Coach Kill let me know. It was really a blessing to me, too, because I was really excited about that. That was obviously something that I worked towards and was very pleased with that,
Gopher Hole: What was the reaction of your family and friends when you gave them the good news?
Jon Christenson: My mom started crying. She was in a bicycle shop when I called her. She was pretty excited about it and my dad was really excited. There were just ecstatic as well as I was. It was really neat.
Gopher Hole: It is also saving them some money, right?
Jon Christenson: Yes, indeed. (Laughing). Definitely.
Gopher Hole: What things have you really been working on since the season ended to be ready for hopefully a really big year?
Jon Christenson: A lot of flexibility. A lot of squats and quickness. That is always something that that O-lineman need is very powerful legs, because that dictates how you play. Everything is from the waist down. If you can't hold your arms up, it doesn't matter how strong you are. That has been the one big thing. Staying flexible and really getting my legs a lot stronger was a big emphasis of mine in the offseason.
Gopher Hole: One of the first times I ever saw you was at the Gopher Big Man Camp and you were named co-offensive MVP at the Gopher Big Man Camp and won the "Tug of War" event. If someone had told you that a few years down the road that you would be the starting center at Minnesota, what would you have thought?
Jon Christenson: I don't know. If someone said that, you just take it with a grain of salt. Every day, you just have to plug ahead and give it everything that you got, no matter what happens, happens. I definitely would not have put it out of the reach, but I sure wouldn't have been expecting it, so it has truly been a blessing being able to give all I have gotten.
Gopher Hole: I know that academics were very important to you in high school and I am assuming they still are. How do you divide your time to be not only an athlete, but a student-athlete? How time-consuming is all the stuff that you do?
Jon Christenson: Right now, I am biochemistry/pre-med, which is incredibly time-consuming. It is one of those things that you have to make sacrifices and sometimes cut social time and really prioritize stuff. I don't have a Facebook or Twitter. I hardly text. I just don't waste time. I can't waste time. It has really established a very disciplined lifestyle in me, but it is very hard in same way.
Gopher Hole: Do you think that dedication in academics helps you as an athlete because you have to be dedicated to be a standout player at the Big Ten level?
Jon Christenson: Absolutely. That is one of the things that Coach Kill talks about is that if you are accountable in one area of your life, you are accountable in all the others and that is so true. I have really tried to establish being disciplined in every area of my life, whether it be mentally, spiritually or physically. That is absolutely important. To slip up in one area because other places start to slide. I would definitely say that correlates on the field.
