Canyon's Abree Winfrey enjoying the last few meets of her high school career
You know how in the theater people will say, "Break a leg?" It's essentially another way of saying, "Good luck."
Well, there's a different saying in the Winfrey household when one of the kids gets ready for a game.
"Don't suck," Abree Winfrey said. "That's the family motto right there."
It was true for Abree's two older sisters before they began their respective college basketball careers. It's true now of Abree's younger sister Sydney, who is in her sophomore year at Canyon High School.
And, of course, it's true for Abree, who is nearing the end of her high school career.
As she prepares for the Lady Eagles' area track meet on Thursday at West Texas A&M University, it's safe to say Winfrey has done a pretty good job of living up to the family motto the past four years.
Winfrey has collected 13 total medals, nine of them gold, in cross country and track at the state level in her career. Don't forget, too, that there was no track and field season in 2020 due to the pandemic. Though she still has to get through area and regionals, Winfrey collecting more hardware at state this year is one of the safer bets you could make.
The past four years have been quite surreal for Winfrey. It's slowly, but surely, started to dawn on her that she's almost reached the finish line.
“I’m feeling it a little bit," she said. "The season went by a lot faster than I was expecting. At this point I’m just trying to focus on these upcoming weeks and just savor it all.”
Her head coach, Ray Bacca, has been savoring it all as well.
"She’s pretty much meant everything to our program the past few years," Bacca said. "Her work ethic is second to none, she’s always here, never misses practice, rarely if ever complains about injuries or anything. She’s just one of the fiercest competitors I’ve ever coached.”
Don't take Bacca at his word?
During the 800-meter race at the Amarillo Relays earlier in the season, Winfrey finished in first place with a comfortable lead over second. She also set a new personal record in the event and crossed the line just shy of breaking the meet record.
How did she celebrate? Well, she didn't, actually.
She was frustrated and displeased at not breaking the record. That's the kind of competitor she is. Bacca says this is normal, but both he and Winfrey said with this being her senior year, there's been more of a focus on enjoying the victories all the same.
"... I just focus on training each week and getting ready for the big meets," Winfrey said. "I’m trying to be okay with those wins even if they’re not the times that I wanted.”
While Winfrey is nearing the finish line for high school, this isn't her last race.
She'll continue to add to the Winfrey family tradition at the collegiate level next year when she's running track for the University of Kansas. While she's still got some things she wants to take care of here (like winning a few more medals), she's ready to begin the next race.
“Man, I’m so excited," she said. "It’s going to be sad to leave, but it’s going to be fun to get to branch out and do my own thing while still doing what I love for sure.”
Following the area meet at WT, Winfrey and the rest of Canyon's team who advance will compete in the regional meet at Texas Tech.
From there, it's state and one last chance to add some medals to the Winfrey family trophy shelf. Ask Abree, though, and she'll tell you it's not the Winfrey shelf that she's focused on. It's the Canyon High shelf.
"(My goal is to) win a state championship," she said. "Get there with my teammates, my coach and come home with a trophy and a win.”
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Canyon's Abree Winfrey enjoying the last few meets of her high school career
