Kenzie Henderson
Whether sprinting down the track, digging a volleyball or dropping double-doubles on the basketball court, senior Kenzie Henderson is a multi-sport athlete who has done it all.
Even more important, she said being an athlete in Oglethorpe County has impacted her for the better.
“The coaches, the teammates … It’s a very welcoming and warm environment, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else,” Henderson said.
Oglethorpe County’s girls track team has finished as either state champion or runner up every year for the past six years (the 2020 season was canceled because of COVID-19). Henderson’s presence has helped keep that standard alive.
As she prepares to finish her final season in red and blue, Henderson is chasing her fourth and final state high jump title this spring. She won the Region 8-A Division I high jump title on Monday and was part of the winning 4x200 relay team.
Her dominance in track is no surprise to anyone who’s seen her train or compete. According to her coaches, she’s the kind of athlete who doesn’t shy away from a challenge; she thrives on them.
“She’s very much a hard worker. She stays on her own path,” said Brianna Dickens, co-head track coach and athletic director at Oglethorpe County. “She's one of those that, you know, I did have the privilege of coaching in her basketball for three years, so it's one of those you see her work on a day-to-day basis, and she really doesn't go off the ups and downs of others around her.”
Henderson decided not to play basketball her senior year, but continued to compete in volleyball and track. Recently, she decided to try something new for the first time.
“The other day, she wanted to try long jump,” Dickens said. “Of course, I'm like, OK, well, you can try. Her first jump, she jumps and I'm like, OK, this is pretty natural. So she's one of those that a lot of things kind of click to begin with.”
Henderson’s natural athleticism has been evident since she arrived at Oglethorpe County as a freshman.
“I think seeing her grow over the last three, four years in terms of her ability to navigate numerous sports, her ability to stay competing at a high level,” Dickens said. “I mean, even coming in as a freshman, in every sport she was brought up in all the region meetings and all the state meetings and those types of things.”
Though her achievements are countless, Henderson doesn’t seek the spotlight.
“She's not one to walk around and talk about herself. She's actually kind of the opposite,” Dickens said.
Her performances often left her coaches in awe.
“I've seen her do things specifically in basketball that it's not things that you coach,” Dickens said. “It is just skills and gifts that she has that, some days at practice or games, (I) would be just amazed at what I just watched.”
Her plans are uncertain, but if she were to compete in a sport in college, it would most likely be track and field, specifically the high jump.
She also has advice for freshmen just starting out.
“Don't try to get early success, you're gonna have to consistently get that until senior year,” Henderson said. “So, if it takes time to get where you need to get to, it's OK.”