By Ken Hansard

 Coaches usually have to be very intentional and remind their athletes that a sport is generally not about the destination; it’s about the journey.  Field Kindley High School track star Kainen White is not your typical athlete.  Speaking of what he wants to accomplish to finish out his season, White stated:  “If the season was to end now, I would be okay with what I have accomplished so far. Everything has been a learning experience for me.” 

 It is not that White doesn’t want to be successful at this week’s KSHSAA state track meet in Wichita.  He definitely wants to do well; he wants to win the whole thing.  It’s just that the senior thrower for The Golden Tornadoes has good reason to feel at peace with his season and career.  White has had a record setting season for the Nados, besting his own school records several times in both the shot and the discus, with personal best marks of 56’11” and 184’5”, respectively, winning both events in the highly competitive SEK League.

 Despite all of the accolades these achievements have brought him, what White really wants is simply to “compete and be around my friends.”  Kainen sees his role as that of a leader, but, possibly more than anything else, he sees himself as a “team player.”

White broke his ankle over the summer, which limited his opportunities to work on his craft.  Even so, Kainen found a way to develop himself, “What I did to improve and rebuild my muscle was just to go out and throw in practice like I would in a meet. Going hard in practice is very important because you practice how you play.”

White qualified for state last year in both the shot and the discus.   He didn’t place in either event, but his response to this also showed him to have a coach’s mentality, “Honestly, not placing was something that helped to build my character and actually gave me confidence for this season.”

Kainen is also a highly decorated athlete in both football and in wrestling.  He plans to attend Butler County Community College in the fall on a football scholarship and would like to study sociology.