Karen Gibbs
Karen Gibbs: A Model for Living
Karen Gibbs, known affectionately as "Gibber",
entered Gustavus Adolphus College in the fall of 1974. During her freshman
year she was one of the top tennis players in the Upper Midwest...until
cancer ended her season. Part of her right arm was amputated and her struggle
for life began. Immediately Gibber decided that she was going to play
tennis left handed. Surprisingly she again made the team during her sophomore
year and even won her match against the University of Minnesota.
As the cancer spread, radiation and chemotherapy treatments caused Karen to lose her hair and almost fifty pounds. In her weakened condition, Gibber had a shoulder separation which ended her tennis competition. Even so, she was there at most practices, leading the women through conditioning drills and assisting in every way possible. She planned to resume her captain's responsibilities during her senior year, but that goal proved impossible. She died on August 8, 1977, at the age of 21.
Karen's legacy has not been forgotten. She is still remembered for her ability to find the bright side of everything, no matter what happened to her. Losing the use of Gibber's right arm brought her the challenge of playing left handed. Frequent stays in the hospital were fun because of all the visitors. Losing weight fit into her diet plans, and being bald made Halloween disguises easier. She felt comfortable sharing her feelings and ideas on cancer, handicaps, and the prospect of early death. However, if anybody started feeling sorry for her, she quickly change the subject to a more pleasant topic.
Also Karen demonstrated good sportsmanship. She genuinely cared about her opponents as well as her teammates. She seldom made excuses or lost her temper. "Excuses," she claimed, "detract from the accomplishments of my opponents. So does losing my temper. In effect I'm blaming a loss or poor performance on my own mistakes rather than giving credit to my opponent. I don't want to do that."
Gibber is a model of the mature approach to tennis competition and life. She strove for excellence through daily discipline and an undaunted spirit that saw each new setback as a creative opportunity to accomplish more. She wanted to win, but was not afraid to lose. She wanted to improve, but starting over again left handed did not discourage her. Gibber continued to try, in spite of everything, thereby revealing a key to both tennis and life.