Spring Stars: Flowing Wells' Kaitlyn Rendon stays sharp as she awaits her next shot

The Star is profiling Southern Arizona high school athletes whose seasons were cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Each high school was asked to nominate an exceptional spring sport athlete who exemplifies greatness on and off the field, court or track.

Kaitlyn Rendon’s list of honors and accolades is exceptionally long, given that she’s only 17 years old.

The Flowing Wells High School junior carries a 3.9 unweighted GPA and is ranked 10th in her class. She’s also president of her school’s Interact Club and a member of several others, including National Honor Society. She participates in chamber orchestra and is on her school’s soccer, cross country and track and field teams. And since getting involved with her school’s Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps rifle team her freshman year, Rendon has placed first in state, regional and national competitions. She was named the team’s MVP her freshman and sophomore year.

Judging from the effusive praise of one of her JROTC instructors, it’s likely Rendon would have snagged MVP for the third year in a row had the season not been cut short by the coronavirus pandemic.

“She is the epitome of a team player, not only on the range but also in the classroom,” said Captain Bobby Edwards, of Rendon’s JROTC. “Outstanding athlete but a better person.”

And a busy person, too. Consider her pre-coronavirus routine.

“Typically, I’d start my day at 4:30 a.m.” Rendon said. Rifle team practice was held at 6:30 a.m., and during soccer season, Rendon didn’t leave school until 6 p.m., which for most people would already constitute a very full day. Homework and extra work for her AP classes sometimes kept Rendom awake until 2 a.m.

“I usually only get 2 hours of sleep,” Rendon said. “I get my coffee in the morning, but sometimes I’m a little sleepy.”

Her schedule these days is quite different. Rendon sleeps in until 9 or 10 in the morning. Remote learning means that she can set her own schedule, which allows Rendon to plan ahead if she knows she has a lot of work.

“I have a lot of plans,” Rendon said of her goals for the future. “I want to go to Air Force Academy. I don’t want to say that I have a chance or I don’t have a chance, but it’s far-reaching — kind of.”

Flowing Wells High School junior Kaitlyn Rendon, third from left, poses with other members of her school’s JROTC. Coming into this year, Rendon was the top shooter on the team.
Courtesy of Flowing Wells High School

She’s also thinking about East Coast schools — Johns Hopkins is a favorite — or the University of Arizona.

Rendon’s coaches agree that she has a bright future ahead of her and the mindset to get there.

“She definitely puts her grades first. On the field, she is competitive. She gives it her all,” said Ellen Villalobos, Flowing Wells’ head cross country coach and assistant track coach. “Kaitlyn may not be one of the top athletes in the city or even school, but her work ethic, self-discipline, and grit, makes her the best female athlete in Southern Arizona.”

Rendon began running cross country as a third-grader.

“I could hardly run a mile” at first, she said.“Now it’s easier to have that endurance mentality, to be able to do things for a longer period of time,” she added. “I’ve grown a lot from cross country.”

But if you ask her real favorite sport, Rendon is fast to pick rifle, and says it carries with it her best memories from high school.

Last summer, she traveled to Camp Perry, Ohio, for the National Three-Position Air Rifle Championships. With 10,000 shooters from the United States, Pacific Islands and Europe participating, the pressure was on.

Rendon’s recounting of the trip could be straight out of a movie. She huddled in the lobby with her mom and coach as the final spots were announced over the loudspeaker.

Six names were announced. Then seven.

“My coach said, ‘Wait for it, wait for it.’ He had a lot of faith in me that I’d be in the finals,” Rendon said. “They said my name and my mom screamed.”

Rendon shot better than most of her competitors and finished in fifth place. It was an impressive performance for someone who had never fired a gun before joining the school’s rifle team.

That’s what she’s missing the most now: A chance to repeat last year. Flowing Wells’ team qualified again this year, but the tournament was canceled due to the pandemic.

But Rendon is staying positive — and busy. She is helping out with her little brother and finding ways to stay fit.

“I usually go on a run later in the day, or play ‘Just Dance’ or do a workout inside,” she said, adding that her sharp-shooting practice is on hold. “I’m just waiting. I can’t go to the range and I don’t have any kind of the stuff they use,” she said.

And while she’s looking forward to getting back onto the shooting range, her plans for her first post-quarantine outing is a bit more youthful.

“Peter Piper Pizza,” Rendon said with a laugh.