JEFF FIELDER Editor
GERING – Kenna Culek, a senior on Gering High School’s girls cross country team, is this week’s Nspire Today! Female Athlete of the Week, sponsored by Kristy Culek Agency, LLC-American Family Insurance. On Friday, Culek competed in her third Nebraska Class B state cross country meet, placing 55th. Her Gering Bulldog team captured the state team championship in impressive fashion. In addition to cross country, Culek is involved in GGAA. Her brother is Mitch, 13. Her parents are Chris and Kristy Culek.
Q: Describe your emotions after you and your teammates found out Gering won the Class B state championship.
CULEK: “I was super excited. We had been training forever for this. This has always been my dream – to win state.”
Q: What were the team’s expectations going into the state meet?
CULEK: “Going down to the state meet, we were expecting to get into the top five and maybe even the top three. We knew we had to come out and run the perfect race to accomplish that, and we did. We had great team chemistry.”
Q: In the week or two prior to the state meet, did the team talk much about possibly winning the state championship?
CULEK: “After [winning] districts, Coach Marez started totaling up all the scores. He was scoring us against Omaha Skutt, for example. When we got down there, he told us that we had a pretty good chance. We just had to run our best race. It was nerve-wracking, and all of us got goosebumps. We were super excited. We went into it with a good attitude, and that’s what helped us get through it.”
Q: Talk about how much fun you had this season – your last one with the Gering cross country team.
CULEK: “We had so much fun at practice. We even spent a lot of time digging a rock out of the ground when we would do workouts at this certain place. We carried it around to meets. We just spent so much time laughing and having fun together before our workouts. We were always there until 6 every night because we were just having fun hanging out together.”
Q: Tell me a little more about that rock. What’s the story behind that?
CULEK: “Well, when we would do our runs up by the Monument path, we were on a dirt road and there was this rock sitting in the ground. Whenever we would go back there to run, some of the kids on our team were so determined to get that rock out. When they finally got it out, we all signed our name on it, and we named it Dwayne. It went to districts with us, and then it went to state with us, and we got first at both meets. So, they claim it was a good luck charm for us.”
Q: Describe how your cross country career went overall.
CULEK: “Going into cross country my eighth-grade year, my parents pretty much told me that cross country was what I was going to do and that I was going to like it. I went to the first practice, and I hated it. But I stuck with it, and it ended up being the best decision I’ve made in my life. Getting to be part of a team that is so loving and caring was special. If it weren’t for cross country, I probably wouldn’t have gotten to know some of the kids on the team. It was a lot of fun being around everybody. It was an experience that I definitely needed in my high school career. I’ll never forget my high school cross country teams.”
Q: Individually, how pleased were you with how things went this season overall?
CULEK: “I started on varsity this season, but then I had to battle back for my spot on varsity. I wouldn’t have been able to be on varsity without our seventh and eighth runners. They’re a very important part of the team. They always pushed me. I was always worried about what they were going to run and how I was going to run. I was very motivated by those two girls. I’m glad they forced me to run my best every race so I could keep my spot.”
Q: Do you feel like you ran your best race at state?
CULEK: “Yes, I think I ran to my full potential at state. Going into state, I knew I had to run the best I could. I knew I would need to be able to walk up to Coach Marez after the race and tell him, ‘That was the best I could do for you today. That was the best race I had.’ When I was running in that meet, I was telling myself, ‘This is my last race. I need to put it all on the line. I can’t hold anything back.’”
Q: When did it really hit you that, “Wow, this is the last race of my high school career.”?
CULEK: “Probably at the two-mile mark. It hit me that, ‘Yes, this is it. I have to go.’ Then when I crossed the finish line, an official told me, ‘I think your team just won it.’ That’s when it really hit me, and I started crying. I was so excited, and my team was so hyped up. We were so excited that we were able to get it done. I’m glad I was able to finish my cross country career at state and have it end like that.”
Q: You competed at state cross country three times. How special was that?
CULEK: “It was super memorable. It’s awesome that I was able to run at state my freshman, sophomore and senior years. The environment at state is totally different than any other meet. I wish every kid could go there to experience that environment. It’s amazing there. I’m really happy that all the teams I ran on – from my freshman year to my senior year – were amazing. All the girls were so much fun and made every trip memorable. I’ll never forget my years competing in cross country.”
Q: In addition to winning state as a team, what are two or three other big moments from your cross country career that really stand out?
CULEK: “Definitely winning districts this year and my sophomore year. It was exciting to know that all the hard work we put in led to some really big accomplishments.”
Q: What are your plans after you graduate from high school?
CULEK: “I want to attend college. I’m not sure which one yet. We’re looking into UNK a lot. I want to study exercise science.”
Q: What do you want to do for a career?
CULEK: “I’m not sure yet. Going into exercise science, I’ll have the option to go into physical therapy, or I could be a trainer. I was also thinking about being a dietician.”
Q: How did you get interested in that field of study?
CULEK: “My eighth-grade year, I had knee surgery. I had to go to PT so I could run cross country my freshman year. I enjoyed going to PT. I loved hanging out with those people and watching them help people heal and get back to doing whatever it was they were doing before they got hurt. I think it would be really enjoyable to help athletes get back to doing what they love to do.”
Q: How’s your senior year of school going?
CULEK: “This school year is going by super fast. I’m trying to prepare myself for graduation. It’s exciting knowing that this is my last year, but I’m going to miss it, too.”
Q: What is your favorite class this school year?
CULEK: “Physiology II.”
Q: Which teacher do you feel has made the biggest influence on you?
CULEK: “Definitely Rick Marez. He’s always had the right answers, and you can always go talk to him about anything. It’s enjoyable to talk to him because he has a personality that nobody else really has.”
Q: What do you like to do for fun outside of your school activities?
CULEK: “I definitely like to hang out with my family. In the summer, we’ll go camping a lot. Also, my brother is involved in a lot of sports, so we’re busy with baseball and basketball. It’s just fun to do things as a family.”
Q: Who do you think is the kindest person at Gering High School?
CULEK: “I would have to say Madison Seiler [a freshman]. She always has that cheerful smile on her face. She can always make your day better. Just talking to her for five seconds, she can always make you laugh and smile. She always has a positive attitude.”
Q: Name one person who you think is a big difference-maker in the Gering community.
CULEK: “Tracy Steele. She’s not only an elementary teacher [at Lincoln Elementary School in Gering], but she’s also very involved in the PupPack program. She always does everything she can to help students and get them what they need. She’s made a big difference in a lot of kids’ lives.”
Q: Favorite TV show?
CULEK: “Definitely Grey’s Anatomy.”
Q: Favorite type of music?
CULEK: “I’m going to say rap.”
Q: Favorite local restaurant?
CULEK: “I like Scotty’s.”
Q: What do you like to order there?
CULEK: “I like their fried mushrooms and their fries.”
Q: Do you work, and if so, where?
CULEK: “I work at Scooter’s in Scottsbluff.”
Q: If you could give a shoutout to one local business, which one would it be and why?
CULEK: “I would say Kristy Culek [with American Family Insurance]. She’s a hard worker. She’s always at work, and she always makes sure everybody has all their stuff done. She always goes out of her way to help people with whatever they need.”
If you would like to nominate someone for Nspire Today!’s Athletes of the Week, sponsored by Kristy Culek Agency, you may do so by sending an email to jeff.fielder@nspiretoday.com or by mailing a letter to Nspire Today!, P.O. Box 454, Scottsbluff, NE 69363. Nominations may also be submitted by sending a text to 308-220-8865.
In addition to being recognized online, athletes of the week will also be recognized in Nspire Today! magazine. To sign up for a one-year subscription (12 issues) to the magazine, please send $15 to Nspire Today!, P.O. Box 454, Scottsbluff, NE 69363. To pay with a credit card, please call 308-220-8865. If you would like to increase your subscription to $20, Nspire Today! will donate the extra $5 in October to the Panhandle Humane Society.
For all your insurance needs, visit The Kristy Culek Agency, LLC-American Family Insurance, located at 1012 Ave. I in Scottsbluff, or call 308-632-8598.
