SBART Phil Womble Award: Kendall Thorne from Dream Cast Media Group on Vimeo.
Kendall Thorne was not about to let the COVID-19 pandemic ruin her Cate School experience.
While the school was in shutdown mode, she kept the cross country team in high spirts by organizing daily training runs through the campus.
Kendall’s involvement in athletics and other school activities, combined with 4.1 grade point average, made her an ideal choice of the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table to select her as Cate’s recipient of the Phil Womble Ethics in Sports Award.
The award is presented to a high school junior who demonstrates the highest standards of ethics and sportsmanship. It acknowledges student athletes who value and incorporate qualities such as accountability, respect of teammates, opponents and officials, honesty, positive attitude, reliability and humility in their daily lives.
Kendall was honored in a virtual ceremony that included award sponsor and longtime Round Table member Dave Pintard, Cate Athletic Director Wade Ransom and her faculty advisor Dave Soto.
As Cate students were sequestered on campus during the pandemic, Kendall took the initiative to bring the cross country team members together for daily workouts.
“She is one of these athletes that makes coaching a joy,” said Ransom. “One of the things I got to experience during the pandemic was Kendall and her running group circling the campus every day, maintaining their training at a time when the sports world had pretty much come to a halt.
“Despite the fact the world was going through the COVID pandemic, we got this daily dose of laughter while kids were training and doing the sport that they love. And Kendall was at the front of that group all of the time.
“Every day was joy to step out of my office and be treated to that.”
The workouts paid off as Cate’s 2021 girls cross country team qualified for the CIF State Championships and finished eighth in Division 5.
Kendall also was a member of the 2019 team that advanced to the State Championships.
“She’s a gatherer,” said Ransom of Kendall’s ability to bring people together. “Her sense of humor, good nature, her positive energy, the fact she is a rule follower and wonderful young adult, really helps our younger students understand what a Cate student can be. She’s a fantastic role model.”
Kendall also plays basketball and runs on the track team for the Rams.
The daughter of Greg and Morgan Thorne is a star in the classroom, carrying a 4.1 GPA with a class load that includes honors and advanced-level classes.
She is a member of the Round Square program, an international network of schools that collaborate on courses and initiatives to promote compassion and connectedness.
She is also a part of the tech programming group Girls Who Code, and serves as head tour guide at Cate.
“Everything she does is without fanfare, and it’s all for the betterment of the people around,” said Soto, Kendall’s faculty advisor for the last three years. “The sky is the limit for this wonderful young person.
“She’s tough to stop on the cross country course and she’s going to be tough to stop her everywhere else.”