Avalon Renninger (right) battles for a loose ball. Spoiler alert: she won. (John Fisken photos)
Renninger and Hannah Davidson share some quality time on the bench.
Avalon Renninger is a bulldog.
That’s how her new basketball coach, CHS girls’ hoops guru David King, refers to her, and it’s an apt description.
Watch any of her games at the middle school level, and Renninger, who will be a freshman this fall, was always (and I mean always) in the thick of things.
She fought for every loose ball, battled for every rebound, refused to give an inch to any rival, regardless of size.
Renninger would tear you to pieces, wear you down, then stroll away, huge smile on her face.
Exactly the kind of indispensable, never-back-down athlete every coach wants.
For her part, Renninger, who intends to play soccer, basketball and either tennis or track, embraces hard work. Always has, always will.
“If I had one major strength as an athlete it would be my work ethic,” she said. “I always try my hardest and put in 110% and that’s something I do not plan on changing.”
While she enjoys all her sports (“I really enjoy the opportunities of playing sports. I really like meeting new people and sharing the common interest of the sport”), the hardwood calls to her.
“Basketball is by far my favorite sport,” Renninger said. “I love playing with my team and it is the best feeling in the world to make that pass or shoot that last shot in the game that makes a difference.”
A fun-loving, very outgoing young woman, she embraces her teammates and holds them close.
“I love to hang out with my friends!!,” Renninger said. “I play most of my sports with them so it makes it easy to hang out after practice.
“I really like having the support from them with everything I do.”
As she makes the jump to high school, where she’ll join older sister Sage, who has been a CHS tennis and soccer star the past two years, Avalon just wants a chance to prove herself.
“My goals as a freshmen are to get some time on either the field or the court and to just keep improving,” she said. “I want to make the most of my sports and I just overall want to get better and have fun with my friends and teammates as I go.”
Helping her reach those goals are a number of people, from family to coaches.
“If I had an area I needed to work on it would probably be not being as hard on my self as I am,” Renninger said. “Coach King has really helped me with that and I want to keep improving to try to stay positive.
Even though I haven’t known coach King very long he has influenced me. He has been a very positive coach and I really respect him,” she added. “Even when I am hard on myself he has stayed positive and has never failed to make me laugh.”
Her biggest cheerleader and role model as an athlete might be her father, Phillip.
“I have had many people in my life influence me but especially my dad,” Renninger said. “He has been my number one supporter since day one and he was my soccer coach for a while and he never let me off easy.
“It seemed awful then but now I see how it has made me better and stronger and I really look up to him.
“I really appreciate all the coaching and everything that I have had in my life and I feel very fortunate.”
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