Plant City’s cross country team has had its fair share of great runners come through the program in recent years, and sophomore Luke Whitmore already is becoming a standout. This season, he’s already recorded several top-10 finishes and set a new personal record of 16:29. At Saturday’s Mitchell Invitational, he finished ninth overall with a time of 17:05.
When did you first start running?
I first started running before my freshman year, practicing during the summer. I started running here my freshman year.
What made you want to take up cross-country running?
Actually, my sister (Hannah) was a runner, and it was her senior year, so I wanted to start running with her.
Do you play any other sports?
I did play football at first, but then I got into running, and I liked it better. And, I was better at it.
You did pretty well last year. What are your goals for this year?
To make state and to get the whole team to states.
What’s been your favorite meet so far?
I would have to say Lecanto. I think it was kind of cool, because of all the hills. It was harder, but it made all of the other races seem easier.
What do you like to do for fun?
I like to hang out with my friends, go to church and hang out with my friends there. I play Frisbee every Sunday — Ultimate Frisbee. We play over at the strawberry fields. We get about 20 to 30 people out there every week. It’s pretty fun.
How’s school going?
Pretty good. It definitely takes some work, doing both (school and cross country). My strongest subject is math, and my weakest: English.
What are your favorite movies?
There’s so many. If I had to choose one, I would say the “Lord of the Rings.” The second one.
Did you ever read the books?
No.
What about TV?
I like “The Cosby Show” a lot. Love that show.
Are you a gamer?
No. Video gaming has not really been my thing lately. I used to like them a lot, but I don’t play video games at all anymore.
If you could be either rich or famous, what would it be?
Probably rich. Fame kind of takes over your whole personality and how you think about things. If you’re rich, you can control your personality, I think, to a certain extent. You can have the money, but you could also be humble at the same time.
If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
I would want to be invisible. You could get into different things without having to pass into, like, a stadium or something.
If you could have lunch with anybody, and have a conversation with him or her, who would it be and what would you talk about?
It would have to be my favorite Christian rapper, LeCrae. I would like to talk to him about his faith and his Christian journey and what it’s been like.