Emery Crume
Grayson County
What was your most memorable meet and why?
My most memorable meet was the 2018 Bruins Hoka Run Challenge. It was a 2 mile
race on the track at Central Hardin High School. In 8th grade, I ran the 2 mile there at
Region with only a couple days of training. I treated the Hoka Run as my redemption run
and ended up doing so much better than I thought I would.
Where did you face your biggest competition?
I faced my biggest competition at any State meet I ran. Being apart of 3A, there are a lot
of girls in those races. My other competitors work so hard all year, and you can really
see that at the State meet
Out of all your high school accomplishments which stands out the most and why?
Out of all my accomplishments, my proudest one was my 8th grade State meet. I unfortunately did not get to run Region that year, but had the opportunity to run at State. I worked so hard that week and ended up setting a PR at State. I did much better than I thought I would and I loved how happy everyone was when I finished.
If you could do it all over again what would you change about your running career in high school?
If I could change one thing, I would have started working so much harder earlier. The summer before my junior year, was when I really got focused and showed so much improvement. I wished I had had that much motivation going into high school because I would have loved to see how fast I could have gotten.
What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?
My junior year, half way through the season we discovered that I had Mono. I was
running my races so slow and I was getting so frustrated because I had worked so hard
over the summer. After finding out that I had Mono, I took two weeks off and tried to run
Region. I ended up not being able to run at State because I got the flu on the day we
were supposed to leave for Lexington. It was really hard to accept that my season went
so poorly after all the work I had done. But at the end of the day, it only pushed me to
work even harder for my senior season.
What will you miss the most?
I will miss the race day atmosphere the most. There really isn't a better feeling than
walking around on a Saturday after a race and just seeing how excited and happy
everyone is-especially the elementary athletes. I love the little ones and it is always so
fun to see them after they have finished well and see how excited they get. I love
finishing a race and getting to see them after because they always put a smile on my
face.
Do you have any advice for younger athletes?
My advice for younger athletes, as cliche as it sounds, would be to never give up; your
hard work will pay off. Seeing others be successful who don't work as hard as I did has
always been something I've struggled with. However, if I had quit because of that
mentality, I would have never gotten to see where my hard work would get me or enjoy
the success I have had. Focusing on yourself and continuing to work hard is one of the
best things an athlete can do for themselves and one day, it will eventually pay off.
What are your post-high school or college plans?
After high school, I plan to continue my academic and athletic career at Kentucky
Wesleyan College. I will be running cross country and track and field while majoring in
middle grades education with a focus in history and english.
Who would you like to say thank you to?
I would first like to say thank you to my coaches. Without them continuing to push me
and believe in me, I wouldn't have been able to accomplish what I have. I would like to
thank all of my teammates who continued to push me and help me get better. I would not
have made it through some of my practices if I didn't have such a great group of girls
beside me to keep me going and make practice so fun. Finally, I wanna say a huge
thank you to my parents. For 7 years, my mom or dad has always been to every meet-
even if that meant I was running in Louisville while my younger brother was running in
Bowling Green. My parents pushed me to do my best, but at the end of the day
constantly assured me that everything would be fine if the race didn't go as planned.
They have been through the good, bad, and the ugly races and have been waiting at the
finish line after every single one. I am so grateful that I had them there throughout these
7 years, LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!
