Exeter/West Greenwich's Katie Millar truly did save her best for last. The Scarlet Knights' talented distance runner never experienced a case of senioritis, gradually improving her times on the track with her high school career winding down. At the Class C Championship on May 24, Millar shined her brightest, finishing second in the 1,500-meter run with an all-time best of 4:50.40. She came back a few hours later to capture the 3,000m with another PB of 10:44.90. Millar certainly has running in her blood. Her mom, Sue (Ratcliffe) Millar, was an all-state cross-country runner at Cumberland in the late 1970s. Two of her uncles, Tom and Bob Ratcliffe, also were all-stater distance runners for the Clippers in the 1970s.
Here's what Katie's mom/coach had to say about her daughter - "Being her coach over the past year has been a wonderful experience. She is truly a dedicated runner and is an extremely hard worker. Running is now in her blood and I am pleased to have passed my love of the sport on to my daughter! Katie has accomplished a lot over her short high school career, but it’s comforting to know she has a huge up side in the years to come.
What would you consider the highlight of your career?
The highlight of my high school career was just growing so much as an athlete, learning so much about the sport, and becoming more confident with my abilities.
What was your most memorable performance?
I think my best performance was at this years class meet, where I ran 4:50 in the 1500 ( a PR by 8 seconds), then raced the 3000 for the first time in the year, and won with a PR of almost 40 seconds.
What was your most difficult obstacle to overcome?
My most difficult obstacle to overcome was staying positive. I had lots of challenges that arose in my high school career, and when I wasn't doing well as a result, I got down and probably did even worse. Everyone has bad days, but you can't let them define you. It took me a long time to finally be able to move on to the next race if I did badly.
What advice would you give to younger athletes?
I would tell younger athletes to just enjoy it! Don't get too worked up about doing well or getting a PR. Just relax and enjoy yourself, and you'll do well. It can sometimes be a difficult thing to do (I still have trouble with it sometimes), but when you do, you end up having some of your best performances.
What will you miss most?
I'll really miss the Rhode Island track and field community as a whole. It's small, but mighty! And its comforting to be around the same people all the time. It will be strange going to college next year with so many teams and athletes that I have never seen before. I know exactly what I'm getting in Rhode Island!
What are your future plans?
Next year I will start at Lafayette College in Easton Pennsylvania. I'll be running for both the cross country and track teams, and I plan to study Engineering in conjunction with, in preparation for a career in Architecture. I'm really excited for all the new experiences and opportunities that the future will bring!
What influence have your coach (or coaches) had with respect to your performance and overall life goals?
My coaches have had a huge impact on me, since they also happen to be my parents! They were the ones who urged me to start running, and without their belief that I had a lot of talent, I would have continued playing soccer, and I definitely wouldn't be on my way to run for a D1 school. Without their coaching and support, I never would have been able to accomplish what I did. They helped me to become a more confident runner, and as a result, a more confident person, and I owe them a great deal of gratitude. And also a great college career to show what all the time they put into me accomplished.
Who would you like to say Thank You?
I would obviously like to say thank you to my parents/coaches for helping me to get to where I am now, always believing in me, even when I didn't believe in myself, and for putting so much time and effort in ensuring that I continued to improve. I'd also like to thank my team, for a great season, the Rothenburgs for also believing in me, and helping me along with the college process, Mike Silva (Foundation Performance) for keeping me healthy and on the track, and Julie Collins, for investing way more time in me than was necessary, but was still greatly appreciated. Finally, I'd like to thank the Rhode Island track community collectively for being such a great place for me to learn and grow as an athlete.