Kat Rice Article (ME)

[rainbowgirl28]

http://sports.mainetoday.com/highschool ... 0505260227

She does it all, in a special way
By MIKE LOWE Staff Writer

Copyright © 2005 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

SACO ? The first time Tom Langstaff saw Kat Rice four years ago, he knew she was a special athlete. She was a freshman sprinter for Thornton Academy´s track team, but Langstaff and the other coaches on the staff sensed there was more to her. Over the years, Rice has become one of the state´s top pole vaulters and middle distance runners. She is the defending Class A champion in the 800.
But it is her leadership that sets her apart. This is her first year as a captain for the Trojans, and Langstaff said she has done a superb job.


Kat Rice of Thornton is a coach's dream. "Any coach ... gets a kid who is talented or a kid who is dedicated. Every now and then, you get one who's both," says Coach Tom Langstaff.


"She´s very organized, and she´s tuned into all the other kids," said Langstaff. "She knows what´s going on with them all the time. She´s the one who holds us together."
Rice was the top seed in the pole vault and 800 in the indoor season but suffered a severe ankle sprain and slight fracture to her left ankle while warming up for the pole vault in the state championship meet. She was unable to compete but through a rigorous rehabilitation has returned to be a top competitor again in the spring.

Rice will attend Dartmouth College next fall and will run track.

"For all the things she does well, she has a very level head and she is very humble," said Langstaff. "She´s very gifted. Any coach, if you´ve coached a few years, gets a kid who is talented or a kid who is dedicated. Every now and then, you get one who´s both. That´s Kat."


How´s the ankle holding up? Right now it feels pretty good. It took a long time to recover. I had to go through a lot of physical therapy, but I haven´t had any real serious problems with it during the season yet. I wear a brace on it when I pole vault. It swells up a little sometimes, but I haven´t had any pain.

Are you worried about it at all? Yeah, I still ice it every day because I just don´t want it to happen again. I don´t want it to be a problem. I have plenty of other things to be thinking about, my training and stuff.

Has it motivated you this spring, the way (the injury) happened? Yeah. It was hard at first to think, ´Well, this must have happened for a reason.´ And I tried to tell myself that, but it was hard. But now, knowing that this is my last chance and I didn´t get a last chance indoors, I think that motivates me.

Were you scared the first time you did the pole vault? No. I think that´s one of the reasons my coaches put me there, because they knew I didn´t have any fear. Once I started really bending the pole and going upside down, it´s more fun than anything.

What are you thinking when you´re up there? There´s really not much time to think. I don´t know, you just have to think about inverting your body as quickly as you can and turning . . . you don´t really think about it.

What´s your favorite subject in school? I like English.

How does that help you outside of school? I think that I´m really glad that English is my favorite subject because I really enjoy reading and writing. I think it´s the most practical subject there is. No matter what profession you choose or what you do with your life, you have to read and write.

Is there anything in particular you like to read? For fun in the summer when I´m just light reading, I like reading Harry Potter or stuff like that or girls´ books like the "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" (by Rebecca Wells) and books like that.

During the school year, my favorite book would be "The Collector" (by John Fowles). It´s a strange, twisted story about a man who collects women. And I also really like the book by John Irving, "A Prayer for Owen Meany." My coaches actually recommended that. We talk about books a lot.

Have you seen the new Star Wars movie? No, I don´t really like Star Wars that much.

What type of movies do you like? Well, my favorite movie is "Gone With The Wind." Usually when I watch a movie it´s just to relax and not be so serious, so I like comedies.

What´s your favorite food? Probably ice cream cake, but I don´t get to eat that often. Otherwise I eat Cheerios at least once a day. I eat Cheerios all the time. I like the honey nut and apple cinnamon.

What´s your least favorite food? I don´t really like seafood, which is tough, living in Maine.

Do you have a favorite fast food place? I don´t eat fast food very much. I go to Dairy Queen a lot. I love ice cream.

Do you have a favorite place to shop? Probably my two favorite stores are Abercrombie & Fitch and Dick´s Sporting Goods. I get all my running clothes there. I probably have more running clothes than regular clothes.

What advice would you give to a freshman coming in? I know this advice is overused, but it´s (to) find a passion for something and get involved. I see so many kids who don´t play a sport, don´t have a club they belong to, they don´t have a hobby. It must be so boring. If you really have a passion it´s easier to succeed.

Why did you choose Dartmouth? Well, they were the ones that most heavily recruited me, so that sparked my interest. I wanted to stay in New England and I wanted to get the best education possible with the best track team I could be on. I think I get the best of both worlds there because you can´t really ask to go to a place in New England with much of a better education as an Ivy League school. And I really like the coach and I love the campus.