Jason Kipnis, Heather Aseltine To Join Northbrook Hall of Fame

Former Northbrook resident Jason Kipnis will be in town on Tuesday to join the Northbrook Park District Sports Hall of Fame.

The Board of Park Commissioners has approved the nominations of Jason Kipnis, who plays for the Cleveland Indians, and Heather Aseltine, who was named National Collegiate Figure Skating Champion in 2002, to join the Hall of Fame this year.

Kipnis will be inducted by on Tuesday, Jan. 8 at the Northbrook Sports Center. Aseltine is expected to be inducted at a Park Board meeting on February 27. Their accomplishments will be listed on photo plaques in the Hall of Fame at the Sport Center.

While growing up in Northbrook, Jason Kipnis always intended to become a professional baseball player, and he has achieved his dream — playing second base for the Cleveland Indians. He played Little League and American Legion Baseball as a child and earned three letters in baseball at Glenbrook North High School.

At Arizona State University, Kipnis was an All American and the 2009 Pac 10 Conference Player of the Year. He was drafted by the Indians in the second round and played in the international All-Star Futures Game. Kipnis made his major league debut in July of 2011, starting at second base against the White Sox.

At the age of 3, Heather Aseltine, of Buffalo Grove, learned to skate at the Northbrook Sports Center and trained there for 16 years. While attending the University of Illinois, she won the national championship title in Newark, Delaware. Aseltine is one of the few skaters who have passed the ISI Freestyle Level 10 test and USFS Golds in Moves and Freestyle.

After college, she began working at the Sports Center, and she continues to inspire other skaters as a Leisure Services Supervisor and director of Northbrook-On-Ice.

The Northbrook Park District is accepting nominations for its 2013 Hall of Fame and Sports Hall of Fame until February 28. The Hall of Fame recognizes volunteers in the community who have significantly improved a Park District program or facility.

The Sports Hall of Fame recognizes the accomplishments of athletes who are from Northbrook or have used Northbrook Park District facilities as their primary training location. Nomination forms are available on the Park District website at nbparks.org and at the Leisure Center and Northbrook Sports Center.

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