Charity Stoltz '17 Recruiting Profile

My name is Charity and I am a student at South Oldham High School. Running track over the years has become my outlet and something that has taught me a lot about myself. The earliest I can remember running was in fifth grade of elementary school. I ran cross-country because my friends were running and my parents pushed me to try something. I wasn’t very good, but I really enjoyed it. My passion for running grew when I ran my first mini marathon with my mom when I was ten. I immediately fell in love with the long distance and all the time I had to run and enjoy the scenery with my mom. Then, in seventh grade, my friends introduced me to track. So, I gave it a try and just as quickly as I fell in love with thirteen miles, I found my stronghold in the 100 meter and 200 meter races. I not only enjoyed the fast pace of these races, but I had finally found something I was good enough at to compete in. Though I miss running the mini marathons, I wouldn’t trade running on my track team, doing what I love, for the world.

Through all of my years of running track, I have learned that I can push my body harder than I think I can. I have persevered through a few setbacks in my track career that included an injury that I was sure was going to put me out of a full season. One season, I had suffered from serious shin splints that were very painful to even walk on after practice. My coach urged me to take a few weeks off to rest and try to recover, but the season had already been cut short enough because of bad weather. So, I pushed through the season taking every measure I could to relieve the pain. I told my coach that I wouldn’t stop until I absolutely couldn’t run anymore. I ended up running some of my best times that season and I found out ways that I could push my body harder through the pain that have made me a much stronger runner today.

I am usually very shy and quiet, but track has helped me discover my ability to lead.. I have my coach to thank for this. He saw through my shyness and saw what I was capable of doing with the team. So, he put me in a leadership position on the team and I flourished. He allowed me to lead the sprinting team through exercises and warm ups to help give me confidence in my abilities to lead. Then, he allowed me to be a part of making the decisions on who would run in what events for the female sprinters on my team. This not only helped me learn and work on my leadership skills, but it gave me a sense of courage within myself that I know will help me to be a better leader in the future.

As a student-athlete, I put all my effort into everything that I do on and off the track. I work hard to be able to graduate with a 4.0 GPA and push myself in school by taking any and all A.P classes that I can. After high school, I want to pursue a career in sports medicine so I can stay connected to sports even after college. I would also love to compete on a collegiate track team to continue doing what I love and to continue to use my leadership skills and athletic abilities.