Sunday, October 26, 2003
Forget about eating worms or caterpillars, competing in games in your camp or tribe or any of the other silliness involved with reality TV.
Saturday's IHSAA New Haven Cross County Semistate is a real race for survivors. For 15 to 20 minutes, several Howard County girls and boys will compete in a grueling four- or five-kilometer stampede with nearly 150 other runners. They'll finish nearly exhausted and gulping in oxygen.
Few of them will be recognized - five teams of seven runners and the top 15 individuals, most of whom will be from one of those five teams.
The Panther girls - Annina Gruber, Brittany Stellhorn, Anna Hurlock, Megan Clearwaters, Becky E1liott, Cassie Myer and Vanessa Lorenz - earned their first semistate trip last fall, but they feel they're ready to make a statement this time around.
"The girls see themselves being in the top 10 with - I believe - a decent chance of being in the top five," Western coach Dana Neer said. "There are five teams who are very close and we've studied these teams as we've set ourselves up. I think Angola, Fort Wayne Northrop, East Noble, Goshen and Western will be fighting for that fifth spot.
"Northrop has finished the season very strong. -Angola may have topped out a little and isn't running quite as well. East Noble has two very line runners, but then there is a huge separation. Goshen probably has the nicest pack running team up there. They don't quite have the front runners East Noble has but there 1 and 2 are only 50 seconds from their 545 runners. Western, we're getting stronger and stronger every week and all of our girls seem to be healthy.
What's in it for them?
Johnny Olsen, tell them what they've won! "Boys and girls, you've won an all-expenses paid trip to the IHSAA's State Meet in Bloomington for the opportunity to do this all over again on a course that includes some really serious hills next weekend7
Yet, the two races on the campus of Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne are the penultimate meet of the season for all of these athletes.
Some will go on to Bloomington, but the majority will return home, the season over
"It's about opportunity and realizing valuable experience in life competing at that level. It's a wonderful opportunity to see what you can do/' Northwestern coach Pete Schroer said. "You get little shivers up your spine after a while because you're there with some special people?
Making the trip from Howard County will. be girls teams from Western, Kokomo and Northwestern, the Western boys and individuals Danielle Glick and Christopher Sinnett from Taylor, Eastern's Laura Boltz and Kokomo's Bryan Phillips.
"Becky dropped a minute from the sectional to the regional and we look to have her back in the 16s. Annina, Brittany and Anna can all be potential top 30 runners,'' Neer continued. "Cassie is back from her sickness. I think the kids' confidence level is high. They believe they can go and run their best and place very, very high?
With Jim Jackson returning from a leg injury this week, the boys squad from Western is back to its normal lineup of Kyle Walsh, Jackson, Michael Marley, Andy Snow, Luke Minor, Eric Walsh and Josh Shepherd.
"Jim has a high pain tolerance, and though he's not 100 percent, he's ready to do some racing, Jim will be fine~' Neer said. "We've emphasized all week long that there are 20 teams and each one has three very fine runners. That's 60 guys right there. Add in 20 individuals who will be up there. That's 80 athletes.
"Runners like Andy, Eric, Luke and Josh who are used to being up there have to realize they could be 92nd or whatever and running a personal best. We just need them to work through the crowd. We're shooting for a top 10 spot?
Kyle Walsh has his eyes set on a return trip to the state meet and,
Neer said, just a little more.
"Kyle's plan is to go to semistate and be the individual champ, There are several athletes up there like Alan Hiner from Fremont and Brennon Plotner of Northrop. Those three will be challenging for the individual title," his coach said. "Kyle's ability to have a very smart start to his race plays into his favor.' He enjoys running with the pack early on and using his strength in the last portion to excel. In the last 800 meters, I think he'll emerge as the stronger athlete. I think he'll come through, run strong and run a personal best and that will set up a good situation for the state meet."
The Tigers' lineup of Katie McCool, Lauren Sewell, Sarah Bauson, Laura Bauson, Drew Schoenian, Katie Tryling and Carmen Malin are only the school's second team to make it to the semistate.
"To have this dream and to have the opportunity to realize it is great. About half of the girls have been there and half haven't," Schroer said, "and all of them have the same level of excitement.
"After we got through the sectional we talked about how many teams make it this far, we talked about it after the regional and again Monday. We have to look at this as the celebration and result of lots of hard work. "
Finishing fifth in the regional he said, you have to look at the mathematical chances. "We're not looking to move on so we've been talking about placing higher than we did the last time we were at semistate."
The Wildkats head north with the girls team of Adrienne Shepherd, Sarah Lee, Summer Hickey, Sarah McDonald, Kristine Bolinger, Amber Longwith and Megan Tetrault.
"We've talked a little about what we want to do," Kokomo coach Ricke Stucker said. "There are a couple of teams we want to key on. We want to have fresh legs and run our fastest times of the year."
The semistate begins with the girls race at 11 a.m. IPFW is located off of Coliseum Boulevard. Take Interstate 69 north to Exit I12 and follow the signs to the campus.