She’s at the starting line.
Her heart is racing as the adrenaline courses through her veins. The starting pistol rises and goes off in the split of a second, but instead of running, she cheers. The memories hit her, and it feels as if she never left.
New assistant track and cross country coach Annie King graduated from Hebron in 2019. She ran mid and long distance events throughout high school, but despite now making a career out of it, running wasn’t originally part of her plan.
“Last April, I got a call [asking if I was] interested in running again,” King said. “We talked for a little bit and [the opportunity] excited me, because I was sad to completely stop my running career [after college].”
King joined the school’s track team as a freshman in 2015 and continued until she graduated in 2019. She ran the 400-meter dash, the 800-meter and the mile. She placed top three in district and fourth in area for the 400 by her junior year.
“I joined [track] because my friends were joining and I wanted to be with my friends,” King said. “But after a month, I realized that I could be successful and I could make something of myself in this sport. [Track] just pulled me in and I’ve been running ever since.”
King said she stayed on the team due to the welcoming atmosphere. Having a new coach almost every year of her high school running career, King was exposed to a variety of coaching styles.
“My sophomore year we got a different coach,” King said. “He had a completely different training plan than [our previous coach.] It was a big learning experience of how to be flexible and adapt to different training systems and also different people because they [had] such stark [differences.]”
King attended Stephen F. Austin State University and majored in interior design. She continued to run track and cross country during that time, but suffered from Achilles tendinitis her senior year. This resulted in her not being able to run for a month during cross country season.
“It was hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” King said. “But I’m thankful that I didn’t quit and I kept going, because I was able to finish my eligibility my last year of college with running.”
Head cross country and track coach Chance Edwards said hiring a new coach is a lengthy process. He struggled to find someone to fit the role, but he said King seemed to be just the right fit.
“Coach King fits the bill well,” Edwards said. “She’s young and she is [an alumna,] so that helps. It makes [the transition] more manageable versus the previous coach [who] was not [an alum].”
In addition to being a coach, King is teaching for the first time. She said that having the opportunity to pour her knowledge into students was another factor that inclined her to choose this job.
“Being able to positively impact students and to make them feel known in the classroom is a big part of why I came here,” King said. “I know high school can be a big transitional time [for students,] so having people that support [them] while [they’re] in school is very important.”
Returning runners have been adjusting to the change in leadership as well. Track runner Sara Lewis said she is looking forward to this upcoming season with King.
“She [is] super sweet, outgoing, and just a really upfront and awesome person,” Lewis said. “I’m glad that she has experience running [similar events as me.] Those are ridiculously hard races, and it’s nice having someone to look up to who went through that.”
King has only been coaching for seven weeks and said that she is looking forward to seeing how the runners develop throughout the season. She is especially excited to see what district has in store.
“I’m happy to be back at Hebron,” King said. “It feels a lot different [than when I was last here]. It doesn’t feel like I’m back at my old high school; like I’m on the other side of it. It is nice to be in a familiar environment, [and] I’m just excited for what’s to come, but [I’m] still learning every day.”
