Kimberly Ikediobi '19 Recruiting Profile

In all my years at Alief Taylor, we have not been able to get a relay team to Regionals. Early on in the season, I experienced shin splints. Every morning and after school, I was at the physical training room to get better. By the time districts came, I could only run with speed with the support of shin tape. Being anchor of the 4x200m relay comes with a lot of responsibility, so I was nervous that I would disappoint my teammates. That nervousness drove me to push my team to the next stage, Area. At Area, our 4x100m relay had a bad exchange and didn't qualify. My team was feeling down, but it was important to me to pick them up and remind them why we run: because who would we be without it? At Area, top four advances. So while my third leg was running to me, we were in 6th place. In that moment, I knew I had a job to do. I took the baton and fought till the end to pass up fourth place, securing a Regional spot.

That feeling as I crossed the line is why I run. Seeing the joy on my teammates and coaches face is why I run. When being constantly put down by other schools, it was our choice to either let their opinions become the truth or rise above. I knew that the feeling I had could not end in high school. I may not know how it feels to run at a state competition, but I was able to learn the importance of teamwork, commitment, sacrifice, and leadership. Finding fast runners is easy, but finding runners that have heart is hard to find.