ST. LOUIS — Tom Gose was the track and field coach at Lindbergh High for 20 years.
Throughout the two decades, he's mentored thousands. Many personalities were running around, but it was one smiley girl that stood out.
As a newcomer, Ally Kostial wanted to push herself to the limit.
"When you're a kid with no competitive background in competitive running and you come out to the coach and say, 'Hey, I want to be a distant runner,' you're a pretty special kid, that's tough, that's hard," Gose said.
Gose said it was Ally's determination, grit and tenacity that made her unique, as she wanted to go that extra mile on and off the track.
"It speaks exactly to her at her core, she didn't take the easy way out of things, she liked challenges, she was not afraid of working hard," Gose said.
This former coach was in Colorado when he heard about the funeral arrangements for Ally. Gose drove 14 hours back to St. Louis to be there.
He said that's what a coach should do, to always be there for his athletes, no matter how long since their last meet.
"She deserves to have the people that knew her who she meant a lot to. You can be there for a goodbye the very least," Gose said.
But it wasn't just Gose who was touched by Ally. More than 100 friends and family attended her funeral.
A clear sign that she's touched many hearts and she'll continue to stay there.
"She would be gratified she was very a humble kid," she said, "so to know that people were really moved by her. She deserves that and she deserved more than she wound up getting."
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