It’s kind of an overused phrase. “This kid was born to play sports.”
But I can’t think of a better way to describe Sandburg star Charlotte Trunk.
Especially since I have photographic proof.
I recently came across a picture of Trunk, eagerly watching a softball game between Sandburg and Oak Forest.
The year was 2006. Charlotte was 23 months old.
You can’t see her face, but you can certainly tell she was intensely looking through the fence.
Trunk laughed after I told her, when the photographer asked if she’s a Bengals fans, she shouted out, “Go Sox.”
“That’s the right answer, always,” Trunk said. “My gosh, this is just crazy. I didn’t even realize that it was me in the picture.
“I mean, it told the future, I guess.”
It sure did.
Charlotte Trunk will leave Sandburg in June as one of its memorable athletes.
In basketball, she earned all-area honors, averaging 12 points, 10 rebounds and three assists as a senior. She scored more than 1,000 points during her career.
Nick Fotopoulos, who coached her in basketball, said her imprint on the program went beyond the numbers.
“The best thing about ‘Char’ is her positivity,” Fotopoulos said. “She is always trying to lift people. That clearly is her most shining characteristic.
“Her abilities transcend sports and extend into life. Obviously, she has tons of accolades and was a great player for Sandburg, but to have that as part of her legacy is one of the most important things.”
In softball, Trunk is a standout at shortstop and a solid batter in the middle of the order. This season, she’s hitting .415 with five doubles and two triples.
Lauren Meister, Sandburg’s softball coach, considers her the voice of the team.
“When I have to convey something to the team or communicate to the team something motivational, she’s the head of it,” Meister said. “She does it effortlessly and she does it on her own.”
Where does it come from? Let’s go back to that photo.
The day it was taken, her mom, Bridget, brought her to the game. A premier athlete in her own right at Seton and in college at St. Francis, Bridget Trunk went on to become a girls basketball and cross country coach at Oak Forest.
She brought Charlotte with her to sports events from the very beginning.
And I mean, the very beginning.
“I was pregnant with Charlotte when I was coaching at Oak Forest,” Bridget remembered. “I would be doing drills and say to the kids, ‘This baby is tougher than you.’
“She’s been on a court or at a field since she was born. She really saw the love the other athletes before her had. She got to watch girls playing and having fun and learned to respect the game.”
Charlotte’s dad, Todd, was a standout baseball player at Oak Forest and at North Central College. He was drafted by the New York Yankees and played in the organization for a season. He’s now a part-time assistant at NCC.
That, without a doubt, is where it came from. When Trunk arrived at Sandburg, she had the genes — and the heart — already instilled.
“I remember writing down one of my goals was to make the JV team my freshman year,” Trunk said. “I was doing little goals like that.
“I tried to use all of the opportunities given to me and what I learned from all of the coaches and the older kids I’ve played with. They taught me so much.”
She gave back and then some. Now, she’s going to give more, even if means taking away from herself.
Trunk is passing on college sports to attend Western Kentucky and focus on nursing studies.
“I think it’s all finally sinking in,” Trunk said. “I’m just going to use the rest of the season as one last ride, hope for the best and leave it all out there.
“Nursing definitely will be a challenge. I’m going to take college very seriously. I want to make sure I stay on top of everything because I know nursing is a very hard field to go into.
“I’m going to work hard at it. That’s what I want to do. I just want to help people.”
The little girl at the fence can be proud.
