The spring is a busy time for any high school senior, so it’s probably understandable that Katie Brooks Boone hadn’t gotten around to reflecting on her legacy at Westminster-Oak Mountain until last week.
But when the emotion finally hit her–it came at full speed.
“The other day before practice, I was sitting in a circle, stretching with the seventh and eighth-graders and trying to give them some tips, and all of the sudden I got a little sad,” Boone said, when contacted just prior to the state sectional meet. “I realized that in two weeks, my career at Westminster will be over, and I’ll be moving on in my life. It’s really a bittersweet feeling now.”
Surely there’s more sweet than bitter. Despite coming from a small school, Boone has distinguished herself as one of Alabama’s finest runners. Last spring, she won Class 1A-4A championships in the 100, 200 and 300-meter hurdles and would like to at least equal that trifecta in next week’s state meet.
Boone comes from a family of runners, and the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree. She will be running at Auburn University next fall, just as her parents did a generation ago.
But none of that means Boone plans to coast through her final high
school competition.
“There’s no way I won’t be taking the state meet seriously,” she said. “Most of the pressure I feel is self-imposed. Personal bests are always important to me, and I want to run the best times possible in my last high school meet.”
Boone seems to be peaking at the right time. She won an impressive victory in the 400-meter dash at the prestigious Mountain Brook Invitational in early April. Her final time of 57.30 was one of her best of the year.
“The Mountain Brook meet was a good one because there was plenty of competition from Classes 6A and 5A,” Boone said. “It was a cross section of some of the best girls in the state. That was a nice confidence builder.”
And while Boone is usually conservative when listing specific goals, she’s not shy when citing one aim for the state meet.
“I’d like to set the state record for the 300-meter hurdles,” she said. “If I run a good race, I think I can do it.”
Boone has a busy summer planned, but most of it won’t involve running.
“My coaches at Auburn said to take a break and enjoy the summer,” she said. “But I plan to be busy.”
She sure does. Boone plans to go on a mission trip to Belize. After that, she will spend time at the JH Ranch, a Christian camp in California, where a long biking trip along the Pacific Coast is on the agenda.
“I’m just going to have some fun,” she said.
As her high school years come to an end, Katie Brooks Boone saw a lot of success come with the fun.
All-Star Week…
The rosters for the North-South soccer and baseball teams were announced last week. The all-star games will be played July 22.
Will Patridge of Hoover will be one of the girls’ soccer coaches. Madison Caldwell of Spain Park, Kate Denney of Oak Mountain, Leigh Haynes of Mountain Brook, Hannah Hudson of Briarwood, Jenna McLaughlin of Vestavia Hills and Julia Terry of John Carroll Catholic were chosen for the North roster.
Included on the boys’ North soccer roster are Clay McDonald of Oak Mountain, Joseph Riner of John Carroll, Paul Roth of Mountain Brook and Watterson Young of Vestavia Hills.
Rick Davis of Hoover and Lee Gann of Mountain Brook will coach the boys’ North baseball team. Selected for the roster were Andrew Autrey and Jack McPherson of Mountain Brook, Richard Davis of Hoover, Carter Jacobs of Vestavia Hills, Joseph McCormick of Oak Mountain and Adam Stewart of Homewood.
