More Than Four. The Stories of Red Land Athletics. Madi Christiansen

 

What: A conversation with Madi Christiansen

 

Timeline: 2012-2016. Trends that were happening when Madi graduated from Red Land. The Mannequin Challenge, The Water Bottle Challenge and Dabbing.

 

****This conversation morphed into more than a dialogue. I'll add some tidbits that were gathered from talking to some people that were close to Madi as well.

 

Kyle Wagner: What year did you graduate Red Land and what were your best memories?

 

Madi Christiansen: I graduated in 2016. My memories are sports related. My Sophomore year we went to the playoffs. We beat Manheim Township in the first round but lost in the second round. That's what I think about with the team. Personally, I always think to my Sr. year when I broke my sister's all-time hit record. It was cool that the record I broke was Liz's.

NOTE: Liz Christiansen, Madi's older sister, was the previous hit leader at Red Land and graduated in 2008.

 

KW: That's a really cool family story. Are the two of you close?

 

MC: Yeah, we are. And I'm close with my brother Colin too. They both coached me in the summer for travel ball.

NOTE: It was later revealed that Madi wore the number 21 for the first 3 years of her Red Land career but switched to 14 for the last year. Liz wore #14

 

KW: Tell me about the hit record. I remember when you broke it but shed some light on that moment.

 

MC: It was the 3rd game of the year against Cedar Cliff. I feel like I went 4-4 or something like that with a 2B, 3B, and a HR. So, I broke the record, collected my 100th hit and we beat Cedar Cliff.

 

KW: Beating Cedar Cliff alone is reason to celebrate. And then you went and did all of that too?

 

MC: Yeah, it was a good day.

 

KW: Red Land softball. Tell me about that experience.

 

MC: Jason Munns was my coach and I enjoyed playing for him. We had some really good players too. Our Sr. year was a bad rain year. Lots of games got backed up and we didn't have the pitching. But, Taylor Artley, Jenna Snyder and Hannah Breitigan were all some girls that I played with that made Red Land softball fun but competitive too.

KW: Were you always a softball player?

 

MC: I actually played 3 years of baseball prior to playing softball. I remember one of the years Mr. Berguson (Doug Berguson) was my Coach. I also played soccer growing up. Oh, and I played tennis my Sr. year at Red Land. A couple of my friends convinced me to go out. It was a lot of fun. I wasn't too bad. But, yeah, I was always going to be a softball player.

 

KW: How would you describe your offensive game?

 

MC: (Laughter) I'd say I was a consistent contact hitter until I became more of a power hitter my last year of High School. Then, I went to Butler and my Fr. year they told me to play my game. So, I was a contact hitter again adjusting to college life. And now, I'm back to a power focus. I'll hit a hard ground ball and they'll say ground balls never result in home runs so....

 

KW: Are you ok with that or are you struggling for an identity?

 

MC: My Dad always taught me that HR's are mistakes so it doesn't come naturally. But I'm doing whatever it takes.

NOTE: Madi has had to overcome some injuries while at Butler. A fractured back and some foot problems may have contributed to some possible swing alterations.

 

KW: Ok, I've always been curious. How did you end up at Butler (Indianapolis, In.)?

 

MC: It was a combination of Carmen Fusco who was my hitting coach at the time and my travel coach Steve Mummau. I played on the Krunch Gold and we played a national level schedule where we'd travel across the country. Liz and Colin went to Mt. St. Mary's and I thought about that school but I wanted to get away. Butler felt like the best fit.

 

KW: How has your college experience been?

 

MC: They moved me to 1B but that's been fine. I wasn't really a natural shortstop. Playing in the Big East has been worth it. It's challenging but it's great. I decided to come back for my 5th year so yeah, it's been a great experience.

 

Other notes worth sharing....

 

Madi played errorless softball as a Jr. and Sr. at Butler University. This is very impressive considering she also hit in the middle of the lineup.

 

Madi was a 3 time captain at Red Land and a 2 time captain at Butler.

Madi had a 3.9 GPA in Business Entrepreneurship and currently has a 4.0 GPA in her Master’s program Masters in Management.

 

Madi's brother Colin was the pitching coach at Seton Hall. He was in the opposing dugout for some of those games against his sister.

 

A personal note: My brother and I worked with Madi a couple of times at GoWags (our baseball/softball training center) and we each had some memories.

Bret: "Madi and I got along great. She was all business when she showed up. I loved working with her."

 

My memory was a dialogue I had with her Dad Ted Christiansen (An '82 Red Land graduate). I asked him "What's the biggest difference in coaching boys and coaching girls?" He thought for a bit and said..."The guys will feel good IF they play well. The girls will play well IF they feel good."

 

  

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