Palisade Junior, Kaleb Reed, is the male Athlete of the Week brought to you by Palisade Dino Mart. Reed plays football in the fall and runs track in the spring. In track he runs the 400, 200, 100 and all relays. “My football coach got me into it my Freshman year,” said Reed. “I wanted to play running back, but I wasn’t as fast as I needed to be. He told me that all the kids in high school went from football straight to track. Coach Mohr took me out on the first day of practice and I fell in love with it ever since.” There is a fine balance in track that attracts Reed to the sport. “You can either be really competitive with track or you can have fun with it,” said Reed. “At practice it is always super fun and everyone is just having a good time, and then once the meet comes it’s like ‘ok it is time to get serious.’”
Reed brings the energy and support to his team through guidance. “This year I picked up more of a leadership role,” said Reed. “We like to say leaders and not captains, just because we believe that everyone can be a leader, whereas a captain pinpoints a little too much on someone.” Through the inspiration of another teammate, Reed has been able to display these leadership qualities. “Someone I really look up to is Marcus Royster. I want to say this and be confident but I think Marcus is the only male senior on the sprinter team. Every single day he is there. I really look up to him for the fact that you don’t ever have to worry about ‘Is Marcus going to be here?’ Nope. I know Marcus is going to be there.”
Reed’s diligence towards his sport and his teammates is what makes him the outstanding athlete he is today. The leader inside of him motives those around him. Congratulations Kaleb Reed on Athlete of the Week!