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Recreation
Independence High School Athlete Races To Win National Title in Cross Country
Independence High School runner Kathy Kroeger won the Foot Locker Cross Country National Championships in 2006.
Kathy Kroeger has played soccer since she was 5 years old‚ but she won’t be playing anymore. That’s because she now wants to devote all her athletic attention toward what she truly excels at – running.
The Independence High School junior is one of the top cross-country runners in the nation‚ and she proved that by winning the Foot Locker Cross Country National Championships in December 2006. Her time of 17 minutes‚ 29 seconds over the 5-kilometer (3.1 mile) course earned her first-place honors at the San Diego competition.
“I had won the Tennessee Class AAA state cross country title in November 2006‚ then was invited to compete in the national championship sponsored by Foot Locker and Nike‚” Kroeger says. “I had to qualify during the Thanksgiving holiday and then went to San Diego for the Dec. 9 meet. I ran well that day – it was exciting.”
Kroeger says she has always been an advocate of physical fitness‚ and in sixth grade thought that cross-country running would be fun.
“I like the sport because it’s all about the individual‚” she says. “Win or lose‚ the pressure is entirely on yourself. I like that.”
Cross-country season takes place from September to November‚ then Kroeger competes on the Independence High track team from March to May.
“As for my training schedule‚ I’m not really a running fanatic when I train – I usually run for about an hour or just a little more than that‚” she says. “I don’t gauge my training by miles. I do everything by minutes‚ trying to match or beat my best times. That’s what cross country and track are all about.”
Kroeger was recognized by Sports Illustrated magazine in November 2006 in a salute to top high school athletes‚ and the 5-foot-3‚ 90-pound runner already has several colleges interested in recruiting her for their track teams.
“Colleges can’t officially recruit high school athletes until their junior year‚ but many colleges have already sent me questionnaires just to show that they know about me‚” she says.
“In the meantime‚ I hope to run for Independence High for the next two years.”
Kristen Reames‚ Independence High School’s girls track and cross country coach‚ says Kroeger is not only a gifted runner but is also humble about her accomplishments.
“Kathy goes into every competition thinking that she cannot win‚ which motivates her to succeed even more‚” Reames says. “She is simply a fantastic runner‚ and more importantly a fantastic person.”
Story by Kevin Litwin
Photo by Brian McCord
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