Triple Crown Staff Spotlight: Danielle Kouba

Name: Danielle Kouba
 
Job title: Lodging Coordinator
 
Email: danielle@triplecrownsports.com
 
Hometown: LaGrange Park, IL.
 
Family: All four of my grandparents immigrated to the US from Europe. My mom's parents are from Germany and Croatia, while my dad's side are from what is now Czech Republic and Slovakia. I grew up with my immediate family of five consisting of my parents, my brother, and my sister. I am the oldest child. In current day, my family consists of my fiance Dan and our three furry bundles of joy - two cats named Kira and Luna and our dog-who-thinks-she's-a-cat named Stormy.
 
College attended/graduated: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign/2010.
 
Sports Background: As a kid I played in T-ball, soccer, tennis and softball. As an adult I've found myself in many a kickball and volleyball league!  I especially love activities where I can be moving around outside while also having a set goal, such as winning a game or learning a new skill.
 
Proudest sports moment: In middle school softball, I was placed in short center-right behind second base. The batter hit a line drive right in my direction.  I caught the ball and was able to tag the second-base runner out as they stepped a bit too far off the base, resulting in a double play and huge confidence booster for me!
 
Most humbling defeat: On my high school soccer team, a game ended in a tie and I ended up missing the goal in a penalty-kick shootout (this occurred more than once).  The pressure in that situation was always too much for me!
 
Hobbies/interests: My favorite hobbies include hiking and climbing mountains!  I am currently on a quest to bag all of the state's 14ers - so far I've reached the summit of 10 of the 58 peaks on my list. When the weather is warm I also enjoy backpacking, kayaking, playing tennis, and trying to learn mountain biking. When the weather is cold I like to stay indoors and play video games, do puzzles and read new books.
 
Favorite trip: Most of my family vacations were weekend trips to Wisconsin, so when my parents took us on a road trip from Illinois to California it was incredible!  I was in elementary school, but I still remember driving through South Dakota and encountering snow on the ground in June and driving over the Rockies, which was my first experience ever with mountains. California was a great destination on its own - we chased lizards, saw seals at La Jolla and played with turtles in my great grandmother's backyard.
 
How you became associated with Triple Crown: I was perusing Indeed.com and came across the Lodging Coordinator position with Triple Crown. While reading the job description I felt an immediate connection - my prior experience instructing youth sports classes combined with my employment booking travel accommodations for foreign travelers to the US seemed like the perfect recipe for what the position entails.
 
What intrigues you the most about Triple Crown?: I am really excited to work in a super-friendly environment with high energy!  Every time I've come into the building I can just sense the enthusiasm from everyone.  I am looking forward to working in the sports industry again in this new, welcoming atmosphere.