Kendall Gretsch encourages everyone to register for PPLD’s Summer Adventure reading program

In her limited free time, one of the things four-time Paralympic gold medalist Kendall Gretsch likes to do is read.

“I’m not a super-fast reader,” says Gretsch, who maintains a rigorous daily training schedule for the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. “But ever since COVID[19], I really have tried to make it a goal of reading at least one book a month. I will do it in between my workouts or if I’m eating a meal by myself.”

Having a Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) Library card makes it easy for Gretsch to download eBooks to her phone‚ her favorite way of reading. And she is encouraging Library users of all ages, and especially young people, to develop a love of reading the way she did — by joining a summer reading program. This year, PPLD’s 2024 Summer Adventure presented by Children’s Hospital Colorado leads up to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, reflected by a fun sporty theme as participants strive for their personalized goals and earn prizes.

Gretsch, who grew up in Downers Grove, Illinois, remembers participating in summer reading programs in her hometown, where her mom was a librarian.

“That was one of my highlights from the summer,” she says. “It was like a little card that you filled out, and you put in all the books that you read, and you got different prizes depending on the books that you read.”

Gretsch was born with spina bifida but has been active in sports from a young age. She loved swimming and competed on her high school swim team. She continued the sport while in college at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. According to her Team USA biography, she was introduced to triathlon when she was encouraged, during swim practice, to join a local paratriathlon club. From there, she fell in love with the sport.

“I didn’t really know about the Paralympics until I was in college,” she says. “I read an article about someone that was training for the London Paralympics. I was like, I think this is something that I can do. That first summer, I tried [a] paratriathlon for the first time.”

Gretsch concentrated on her studies while in college and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biomedical/medical engineering in 2014. But after graduation, she was ready to explore the world of competitive sports, and she quickly joined the ranks of elite paratriathletes. She was named USA Triathlon Female Paratriathlete of the Year in 2014 and was nominated for a 2015 Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Award (ESPY) for Best Female Athlete with a Disability.

But triathlon is not the only sport in which she excels. A couple of years after becoming involved in triathlon, Gretsch was invited to a Nordic skiing camp.

“I’ve been doing both sports since then,” she says.

When she first started skiing, Gretsch found mastering the sport to be a challenge, but that was what excited her.

“Now that I’ve been doing it for quite some time, it’s fun to look back and think about how much progress I’ve made. Little turns or downhills that I used to think were really scary are now like, ‘that’s no problem,’” she says.

Gretsch won her first two gold medals during her Paralympic debut at the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games — one each in Nordic skiing and biathlon.

Since then, Gretsch has racked up numerous awards in both sports, including a gold medal in paratriathlon on Aug. 20, 2020, at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, and a gold, silver, and bronze at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Games.

Gretsch moved to Colorado Springs in 2019 to train for the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo.

Spectators who watched the Tokyo Games may recall that Gretsch was featured in one of the most dramatic races of the games, which pitted her against her rival, Lauren Parker of Australia. Gretsch had finished second to Parker at the 2019 International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland. In Tokyo, Gretsch made up more than a minute of time during the bike portion of the race but was 26 seconds behind Parker as she entered the final 5K. She was positioned to win a silver medal, but Gretsch put on an incredible final push and crossed the finish line less than one second ahead of Parker.

“Being a Paralympic athlete has been, first of all, about the community of people that I’ve met,” she says. “I have made so many connections — teammates here in the U.S., but I’ve also had the opportunity to make friends with so many people from around the world in different countries. And I think that part of it is what will stick with me even when I’m not competing.”

Gretsch likely will find more new friends when she competes this summer at the Paris Paralympic Games.

“It’s going to be a really exciting Games,” she says. “My event, the triathlon, is going to be right in the heart of downtown Paris. We’re going to be right among all of these iconic features — in the background, you’re going to be able to see the Eiffel Tower.”

Gretsch’s daily schedule is demanding, filled with two or three workouts, plus meetings with supporting personnel such as sports psychologists and dietitians. But downtime is essential, too, and this summer, Gretsch says she plans to participate in PPLD’s Summer Adventure program.

The program began as a way to help support kids up to age 18 while they are out of school by encouraging them to read, move, and imagine throughout the summer. Research has found that reading and educational activities during summer break can help students retain more of what they have learned during the school year.

For this year’s 50th anniversary of the program, PPLD is opening Summer Adventure to readers of all ages so that everyone has an opportunity to exercise their reading muscles and win rewards. The program, PPLD’s largest, with more than 14,000 annual participants, runs from May 31 to July 31 this year.

For more information about Summer Adventure and to register, visit ppld.org/summer or stop by your local Library location.