Shelbie Harris
Staff Writer
Students attending Idaho State University come from all walks of life.
From various countries located across the world, ranging from Kuwait or Saudi Arabia to Columbia and many European countries as well, students travel long distances to fulfill their social, academic or athletic desires.
In the case of Christoph Lange, senior multi-event men’s track and field athlete here at ISU, an avenue for athletic development was important to him when considering school in the United States.
“In Germany, college and sports are separated, there is no competitive college teams. A lot of European students come to the U.S. to keep going with their athletic careers,” said Lange. “It’s really hard to combine back home in Germany, it’s totally separated so you have to organize most of it yourself.”
Lange is a decathlete for the ISU men’s track and field team which means that rather than limiting himself to a few events, he is able to participate in all the events ranging from the long jump to distance dashs and hurdles, and even the shot put and discus events.
Lange was injured toward the end of last season and was out for a full year.
He was able to return in time for the indoor competitions and took third at the indoor heptathlon during the Big Sky conference.
“Last year was one of my best years, just for my life overall,” said Lange.
“I was able to connect to the community more, to the city of Pocatello. If you can’t run, it’s tough to hang out with just track people. I was able to make a lot of friends outside of track and actually travel a lot, which was one of my goals coming to the United States, to see the Great West,” he continued.
There are many influences for Lange’s decision to become a track and field athlete.
Most of his inspiration to compete come from his parents.
“Both of my parents were track and field athletes. From a young age I sort of practiced and hung out with others involved in the sport. I kept going with it and I really liked it a lot,” said Lange.
“Even if you win every meet, you still have the chance to get better, you still have the chance to improve and get the maximum out of yourself,” he continued.
Other than running track, Lange camping and backpacking, as well as playing volleyball.
He is also a participant in The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA).
“[FCA] is a little outreach community that meets every Sunday evening. It’s really nice and relaxing to get to hang out with some of your track friends, and meet other people and athletes from other sports,” said Lange.
Lange transferred to ISU two years ago with the assistance of an athletic scholarship.
In addition to representing the ISU men’s track and field team, he plans to graduate this May with a degree in mechanical engineering.
After graduation he plans to travel a bit more before heading back to Germany to attend graduate school to focus on a career involving renewable energies.
