Athlete Name: Christopher Grinstead
School: Bowling Green High
What was your most memorable meet and why?
Most Memorable meet is definitely the Trinity Valkyrie race my freshman year where I beat my PR by 2 minutes, really set the tone the rest of my career putting in my mind that I could run faster and faster as time went along.
Where did you face your biggest competition?
I faced my biggest competition at the state meet, simply the best of the best going at it, proud to be apart of it for 4 years.
Out of all of your high school accomplishments which stands out the most and why?
I never really got the goal I long set out for, but a big accomplishment happened at the Lexington Catholic Invite where I finally broke the barrier I was struggling to get over race after race, it ended up giving me the mindset that I could run that fast every race.
If you could do it all over again what would you change about your running career in high school?
If I could do it all over again, I would have told my freshman and sophomore year self that I needed to focus instead of goofing off and getting lazy in practices so I could meet my expectations.
What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?
My junior year, I really felt like I had a big setback, race after race, I would either just run horrible or I even passed out at the State meet. It was really hard to get back into rhythm, I kept struggling and struggling, but as track season rolled around and had a few good races, I started realizing that I was just in a mental stalemate, and needed to break through it.
What will you miss the most?
Simply, my team. We were like brothers and sisters to each other, I couldn't have asked for anything better from my team, they have become my second family over the past 4 years, and I will definitely miss them a whole lot.
Do you have any advice for younger athletes?
Push yourself in the early years, it will transition to you being where you want to be in the future. Also, never give up on your expectations, you should always hope for the best, you always have time to improve yourself, don't get discouraged over one bad race.
What are your post-highschool or college plans?
Undecided at the moment, visited a few places, but not ready to make the decision yet.
Who would you like to say thank you to?
I would like to first off thank my parents for always supporting me, even when I run bad, I also want to thank Coach Prieskorn for never giving up on me and knew that I had what it took to be a good runner, and my teammates who always were there for me. Also want to thank my friends for always asking how races went, and being out there at local meets!