We Salute Renee Trout Independence High School



Name: Renee Trout

School: Independence High School


Q: What does your training look like right now given the current situation?

A: Right now, my training is longer distance as, due to cancellation of track, my sister and I have decided to start training for a half marathon.


Q: What are you doing to stay busy other than run right now?

A: Other than running, I am staying super busy with both my job and school work. When I do have down time, I enjoy gardening, going on walks and bike rides, watching good movies, and reading.


Q: What was your most memorable race/moment?

A: My most memorable race was the 3200m at State Track my freshman year. This race was probably my best ever and was one of the most exciting moments in my life.


Q: What was the funniest thing that happened during your running career?

A: One of the funniest times running for me was when we encountered ahuge dog on one of our runs and we sacrificed a freshman to keep running (don't worry, he was fine!).


Q: Who would you consider your biggest competition over your four years?

A: I have had a lot of competition over my four years in both track and cross country; however, my most memorable competitors were Mackenzie Wilks from Pittsburg, Aimee Davis from Clearwater, Taylor Briggs from Chapmen, and basically all of the girls from Fort Scott.


Q: What was your greatest accomplishment?

A: My greatest accomplishment has probably been winning the Blue Division 5k at Rim Rock; that was a fun race and I was glad to get a chance to claim a victory there before being moved to the Crimson Division.


Q: If you could do it all over again what would you change about your running career in high school?

A: I would definitely work harder to recruit more girls. Senior year we lost a lot of good runners and struggled to make a team. So, that is something I would want to change for sure.


Q: What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?

A: I had some injuries and burn out which really put a damper on junior and senior year. Along with that, I have had to deal with my coaches changing almost every year for cross country and I feel like that made it hard at times.


Q: What will you miss the most?

A: I will definitely miss my teammates the most. Some of the best moments of my life have been running with both the girls and guys on my teams and it will be really hard to not be able to go to competitions with them. This being said, I plan to be at, at least, a couple of their races and will be going back during the summer to help them train.


Q: What advice would you give to younger athletes?

A: My best advice is to try long distance! A lot of runners are scared to try anything past a mile, but trust me longer runs are the best thing in the world.


Q: What kind of an impact has your coach had on you and your team?

A: As I have mentioned, I have had a lot of coaches in my years, so this question is kind of difficult. That being said, my track coach has been one of the best coaches I have ever had. Coach Boldra really focused on ensuring everyone was part of the team and did not exclude anyone. He always had really hard practices that, although intense, made me a better, stronger runner. As for cross country, I had coach Bloomfield for two years and, although he was new to the cross country scene, he did his best to give us hard workouts and was always there to support us at every race.


Q: What are your college plans?

A: My plans for college are to attend Pittsburg State University where I plan to major in biology with a minor in chemistry and possibly spanish. Of course, I plan to run both track and cross country, and I plan to be very active both on campus and in the community.


Q: Who would you like to say 'thank you' to?

A: I would like to say thanks to all of my coaches: Coach Agosto, Coach Bruce, Coach Bloomfield, Coach Kamacho, Coach Ramsey, and Coach Boldra. I would also like to say thanks to my community and church family who came to support me during my races. I would like to thank my teammates and competitors from other cities and states. Finally, I would like to thank all my family members and especially my grandparents for encouraging and supporting me all these years.


Q: Is there anything else you'd like to add?

A: The only thing I would like to add is that my running career would not be possible without the love and support that I have been shown from everyone throughout my four years in high school. This whole thing began in middle school, but I never truly understood what it meant to be a teammate until I got to highschool, and running has been my passion ever since.


Q: Favorite Meal?

A: Any type of pasta is fine by me, but my favorite thing I have ever eaten has been salmon fettuccine alfredo with a side of steamed broccoli. Delicious!


Q: If you could be any animal what would you choose? and why?

A: I would be a cat or a leopard. Cats have always been my favorite animals because they are agile, intelligent, and fiesty, and it would be awesome to be able to see in the dark (it would definitely help out for running!).


Q: Your favorite superhero?

A: Most people would probably assume that my favorite superhero is The Flash, but actually it's The Human Torch from the Fantastic Four.