In Her Own Words: Kendall Ellis - Texas Relays Bound

"Make Me Proud"

Hey ya’ll! Kendall Ellis back for my blog. So I’m super excited for the upcoming weeks. STA has prom, Spring Break, Texas Relays and Florida Relays all coming up but let me not get ahead of myself.

Recap of last weekend: the BCAA County Championships. I have to say these kids showed up and showed all the way out, not just my team but athletes from all over the county. Huge shout out to both the Saint Thomas Aquinas girls and boys teams for sweeping the BCAA County titles and winning overall!

I’m oh so proud of my team, especially the individual girls for winning the 100, 200, 400, 800, and 2 mile. Not to mention there were some U.S #1’s seen from myself in the 400 (53.92) and my teammate Krystal Sparling in the 200 (23.35). Never get too comfortable though, U.S rankings are shifting weekly. Remember yesterday’s fast is today’s slow.

Throughout the season, it’s such a blessing to be reminded of the support and love you’re surrounded by. My family, church, coaches, teammates, fellow athletes and future college coaches have kept me on track. Surround yourself with those who motivate you and encourage you to be the best you can be. I appreciate positivity because there’s no space for negativity in my life. Tweets, Instagram comments, just being stopped at a meet and told good job are all truly appreciated by me so much more than you’d know. Messages, prayers, and phone calls before and after meets are encouraging and unexpected reminders that people are supportive of you. I promise you hearing “I’m proud of you” can instantly put a smile on my face. Having a support system behind you is one of the best things an athlete can have.

I did in fact get to meet Sanya Richards last weekend and of course loved it. As for some of my teammates and I, we’ll get to see her this weekend as we compete at the Texas Relays. Last year was the first time the girls attended this meet and this year the boys will be joining us. The turn up in Texas will be real because this is such a fun meet and it’s huge. The crowd, the stadium, the competition. It’s just a great experience over all. I can’t wait to see friends from all over the country and former competitors who are now competing at the collegiate level. Saint Thomas Aquinas is on a mission to represent both South Florida and ourselves well this weekend at Texas Relays and come home with some more U.S top times and gold medals.