TARPON SPRINGS, FL — It wasn’t love at first sight for state champion, Parker Valby. 

"She didn’t even want to run track and cross country when she was first here, she wanted to play lacrosse, she wanted to swim, and it’s just really natural talent that allowed her to gravitate towards the sport and take off ever since,” said East Lake cross country head coach Britt Taylor. 

As a freshman, she tried out for the cross country team. 

Her natural talent as evident from the start. 

"As soon as she started running, we knew we had something special for sure,” said Taylor. 

Over time, she discovered her passion for the sport. 

"It makes me at peace, running is what I love and what I love to do,” said Valby. 

Valby’s mental approach set her apart. 

"It’s just a work ethic, track is really mental,” said Taylor. "She just has the ability to just push through and turn off her mind, and run through and a lot of kids don’t have that, especially at that age. So that was really the one identifying quality that she had that separated her from everybody else.” 

In her first year, she became one of the top runners on the team, and she hasn’t slowed down since. 

"She became a conference champion, and then a district champion, regional champion and then, you know our dream here has always been to have a state champion and she accomplished that last spring,” said Taylor. 

Valby not only won the track state title, she also broke an all-time record, running faster than any girl in the history of the state meet. 

"It’s been amazing,” Valby said. “All of my coaches have been so much help to me and everything they’ve done has gotten me to the point where I am.” 

Britt Taylor has coached East Lake’s cross country and track programs for the past 10 years. In that span, he’s transformed athletes from a variety of sports into runners. 

"Whether they played football, soccer, swimming, and we kind of convert them into track and field athletes, and it’s amazing to see some athletes find success in this event and they would never imagine it,” said Taylor. 

But he hasn’t seen a competitor quite like Valby. 

"She’s just a really fierce competitor different than anybody I’ve ever had before,” said Taylor. “When that gun goes off, she’s just one thing and it’s just attack.” 

The freshman who was once a reluctant runner, has grown into an unstoppable force. 

"I believe in my training and I believe that I can do it.”