2021 Race Reports
November 6, 2021 Cross Country, Division II State Meet
(Who would have thought...back-to-back Coach Sap productions?: Dedicated to our teammates who were on hand and for those who couldn’t be).
It was a good day.
The morning chill had a bite to it as we were about to board the bus, but the sun was rising in the mostly cloudless sky, and temperatures would rise to comfortably cool before it was all said and done.
It was a good day.
It could have just been senior Jessica Durkee, junior Emelia MacDonald, freshman Ava Crews, Coach Reynolds, and Coach Wilkinson driving a van to a ghost town-like state meet at the Michigan International Speedway (MIS) like last season, but this year it was different. Stepping on the bus this time was not only the three qualifiers and coaches, but also many of the athletes from the girl’s team and a few from the boy’s team. It wasn’t just that fact that the bus had more passengers, but that this group of loyal friends and teammates were able to go and be a part of this experience with our three qualifiers...together.
It was a good day.
MIS is not like any other course we encountered throughout the season. It makes you feel small with it’s larger than life proportions. You have to adjust your brain and accept that one time around the track is not 400 meters, but two miles and that stretches of the course are longer than they seem. Furthermore, with the sheer volume of runners and with the high level of talent, it’s easy to allow yourself to get caught up in the enormity of it all. There were team tents of many colors, banners, flags, team chants, people running to shake off nervous energy, and a great deal of controlled chaos. MIS was no ghost town this time. It was a thriving small city full of high school spirit and running shoes.
It was a good day.
Our conglomerate of cross country Trojans walked together for the first mile in full support of our three champions who earned the opportunity to toe the line on the state’s biggest stage. Once we got to the mile marker it was time to send our representatives on their warm-up jog and to be on their own and take in each other’s energy and hear each other’s ideas...or just each other’s footfalls if they so chose. Regardless, it was their time.
It was a good day.
Ultimately, it was time to head to the line. The support crew of athletes, coaches, and parents all went in various strategic directions to do what we thought would be best to give a shout, a whistle, a whoop, to gather sweats, or whatever we could to spur on our girls in orange and black.
It was a good day.
Some of us were too far away to hear the starter’s pistol, but it was evident that they were on their way as the mass of swift humanity made its way toward the first turn, which was nearly 600 meters from the start. With my head on a swivel I was able to catch very quick glimpses of our girls who were surrounded by a sea of jerseys from many different schools. I shouted, “Nice work Ava!”
There’s no way she heard me through the shouts of the fans standing two and three deep lining that segment of the course and that’s ok. She didn’t need to hear me. She was in her zone.
“Good start Jessie!”
“That’s it Emmie!”
Again...they couldn’t have heard. Again, they didn’t need to. They were engaged in battle and fighting hard.
It was a good day.
Just after a mile and a half most of us were able to see them again. “Go get it Ava!”
“That’s it Emmie! Go Emmie!”
“Way to go Jessie! That’s it!”
...Maybe they heard, maybe they didn’t. Again the shouts and cheers of so many fans were ringing out along the course.
Next I fought for position inside the track where the athletes would begin their final ¾ of a mile.
In my head...“1, 2, 3, 4…”
“17, 18, 19…”
“20, 21, 22…”
The top 30 earned medals and the title of “All-State”. A pipe dream for some, once in a lifetime accomplishment for others, a strong possibility for others still, but a certainty for no one.
...still counting in my head, “29...c’mon Ava...c’mon. 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36.”
“Thirty-six! There she is!” I yelled in my head.
“That’s it Ava!!! Go get it! You’ve got to get six!” This time, out of my mouth, but likely on deaf ears and a focused mind. Ava was doing great and doing what Ava does…
It was a good day.
My eyes were desperately scanning the field of runners flying by and my mind was desperately asking,
“Where’s Emmie? Where’s Jessie? C’mon, c’mon, c’mon, you can do it.”
“Jessie!”
“Let’s go Jessie! Go get it!” ...she is so strong...and so fun to watch...man am I going to miss her.
Still scanning…”Where’s Emmie? There’s no way. I must have missed her. Dang it!
The sprint began across the infield with the mass of crazy fans to try to get just a glimpse as they entered their final 200 meters.
It was a good day.
I missed them. I was too late! Dang it!
As it turned out, Ava batted to 34th in 19:26 with a fantastic performance. Emmie crossed in 139th in 20:49, followed by Jessie in 149th, but only five seconds back. Places in nearly the mid-100s may not look that impressive if you only look at those numbers, but when you consider it was out of not just 254 runners, but 254 of the state’s finest runners in Division II, then you gain a little perspective. Times and place aside, these girls really gave it what they had and made us all proud.
It was a good day.
After riding the tram through the tunnel and hooting and hollering to force an echo, as tradition holds, we then boarded the bus, left MIS and our last race of the season behind in the rearview mirror with our heads held high. For TK, for the cross country program, for their coach, for their families, for themselves…
It was a good day.
November 1, 2021 - Barry County Championship
Ultimately this is going to be another “Coach Sap” production. Buckle in.
It is said that if you can’t keep up with the big dogs, then stay on the porch. We will continue to get off the porch to compete with the big dogs the best we can. We know what that feels like and we know what it takes. At times we are in it and at times we come up short, but we are going to keep on bringin’ it!. Having said this, and to continue the convoluted metaphor I’ve got going here, in this dog-eat-dog world of cross country, especially in the world of Division II girls on the westside; it’s fun to be the big dog once in a while. At the Barry County Championship Meet, tonight was our night to be the big dogs.
For most of us out there, no matter what color jersey was being worn, this was the last meet of the season, and for some, the last meet of their high school cross country careers. With this in mind, everyone on the course ran like it too. We have a lot of respect for the teams we were competing against, and the girls on all the teams put their best foot forward.
I digress. Maintaining a tradition from as far back as I know, the TK Girls Cross Country team has been the Barry County Champions, and tonight it felt good to keep that tradition alive. Although Ava and I agreed...ok, maybe just I agreed and Ava played along by nodding...Ava was going to hang back or at least just stay on the shoulder of whoever led out the race for the first mile, and then have freedom to do whatever she wanted. I think that lasted about 200 meters. Ava Crews likes to lead. And so she did, all the way to the finish line to earn the title of Barry County Champion.
Another girl I know used to be the same way, but the wisdom of miles and seasons under her belt has helped her evolve into the more tactical runner she is today, and that girl is Jessica Durkee. She patiently worked her way through the field to finish second for the team and earned the title of Barry County Champion Runner-up.
Not to diminish any other individual performance because everyone did great, I’m going to pause right there and look through a broader lens. There was a sea of orange and black that ebbed and flowed through the field as the girls worked their way up to the front. They all knew this was supposed to be fun, but they also knew that work had to be done to uphold our status and to have some serious fun.
There wasn’t a girl on our team that didn’t know what we were there for. Everyone worked hard, made themselves proud, made their families proud, and represented themselves beautifully. Not everyone gets a trophy. We know this because we’ve been in meets where we didn’t get the trophy. So, I just about broke my face with the smile I had on when the girls cheered and hoisted tonight’s trophy. Yes, this meet is on a small stage, but we still have aspirations of larger trophies on bigger stages. Tonight though, we were going to enjoy our moment...and we did.
One tradition I may or may not have started, but we’ve done since I’ve been here is to have the seniors lead the team one last time across the finish line together. It’s a moment to celebrate not only a season well done, but a season of life well spent. It’s always emotional for me and for them, but it’s our way of “putting a bow on it”. We missed having senior Ainsley Oliver with us tonight, because she was attending a funeral for a family friend, but she was in our hearts and minds for that last stretch as well. The photo I’m attaching is that finish line. Thank you seniors from left to right: Kelsey Smith, Jessica Durkee, Kendall Snyder, Olivia Landry, Anna Benedict, and not shown, Ainsley Oliver. You have made us proud!
Congratulations Barry County Cross Country Champions!
October 30, 2021 - Division II, Region 13
Three of TK’s Girls Cross Country athletes are heading to the Michigan International Speedway to compete in the Division II State Finals! Congratulations to them and to the entire team!
As a team, the girls finished in the top 4 in the region. Or you could say they finished a little better than the top 25% in the region. Any of the teams 5th through 17th would love to trade places with us. It’s a solid finish. It’s a respectable finish. It’s a finish we can feel proud of and good about. It’s a place that represents TK well.
Freshman Ava Crews and senior Jessica Durkee...did Ava and Jessie things. They were both near the front and made a significant impact. Ava took it to the next level and finished third out of 110, while Jessie finished 12th which qualified them both for the state meet.
Junior Emelia MacDonald, after just coming back from a series of injuries related to a recent car accident, laid it all on the line and achieved a goal she had been thinking about since last October...to get back to the state meet. When in full health she is capable of even faster than she ran today, but she ran a season best to get her ticket punched.
Meanwhile, Sophomore Holly Velting gave it her all and ran a time in the 21s, which she needed to do, and had a solid performance. She was followed a little over 30 seconds later by her sister, junior Lindsey Velting, and a little less than 30 seconds behind her was freshman Lydia Schilthroat. Rounding out the top seven was Lucy VanDermark who overcame insurmountable odds from where she was at the beginning of the season to even get to the start line.
The girls ran hard, they competed well, they stayed engaged, and they gave maximum effort on the day. I could not ask for more than this. However, as a coach with high expectations for myself, I can't help but to feel disappointed. I’m not disappointed in the girls...not at all. They gave their best on the day and three other teams happened to run faster.
It’s ok to be both happy, proud, and disappointed all at the same time, and that’s where I am. The last two seasons we have been fourth in the region, and to qualify as a team, we need to be in the top three. On the one hand, yes, I should be and I am proud of our fourth place finish, but ask any Olympian who just missed the bronze medal how they feel, and although we are not competing on the same scale, I think the feelings are relatable. Just missed!
As far as I am concerned, I need to do better and I’m going to be thinking about this just about every day until we’re here again. At that point, I will once again be measuring our performances and evaluating myself. I will continue to strive to be a better coach to move this team forward and higher up the ladder. They deserve this, the program deserves this, and this is what I expect from myself. For now however, we are going to go to the Barry County Championships on Monday with the state qualifiers possibly backing off a bit, but still with the idea of gettin’ after it as a team. Then we will look toward next Saturday and prepare the best we can to make the most of our opportunity at the state meet.
I have the privilege of coaching outstanding individuals and collectively they are a wonderful team, and I am incredibly proud of them. Not only am I proud of all the girls that ran today, but of all of the girls that were there to show unwavering support as well.
October 19, 2021 - OK Gold Conference Meet
Freshman Ava Crews decided it was time to lead from the gun again, and she did so for the first 1500 meters or so before being overtaken by some stronger veteran runners from Ottawa Hills and Forest Hills Eastern. However, she didn’t back down and she placed 5th overall to earn All-Conference Honors.
Senior Jessica Durkee, had to tough it out through a race that didn’t go the way he had hoped, or what she is capable of, but some days just go like that. Even so, she finished as All-Conference Honorable Mention.
Sophomore Holly Velting laid it on the line and went sub-22, which was one of the goals on the day and she really put in a great effort. This is more of what I think Holly is capable of, and it’s the kind of effort we’ll need from her again at regionals, with hopefully others in the middle of our team doing the same.
Meanwhile, junior Lucy VanDemark, still on the comeback trail, scored a 22:19, placing fourth for the Trojans, followed not too far behind by junior Lindsey Velting, freshman Lydia Schilthroat, and junior Emma Thompson.
We had some really solid showings by some, but we also had few who didn’t have the kind of race they are capable of. We placed 5th, and that’s where we’ve been landing in our conference throughout the year.
Even with our team’s performance not being stellar as a whole, I still believe that we can make an impact at the regional meet if we all produce the kind of race I believe this team can when we are firing on all cylinders, all at the same time. We have some challenges with injuries and set-backs, and that’s just part of the deal sometimes. I’m still choosing to look forward with optimism.
The JV race featured a very respectable performance by senior Kendall Snyder who led TKs JV team. She was followed by freshman Emma Dykhouse who ran a tough race, followed by sophomore Kate Powers, senior Anna Benedict, sophomore Laine Hinton, sophomore Marian Gielincki, senior Olivia Landry, and Spaniard Eva Dominguez, all of whom put up strong efforts.
October 9, 2021 - Portage Invitational
It was an interesting day to say the least. Portage is always nutbar and this year was no exception. It once again featured the first 300 meters of the race course shaking from the footfalls of the hundreds of runners competing not only for position in the race, but space on the earth beneath them. The varsity team’s objective today was to run a solid race, experience the course for regionals, learn something from it, and to not fall down in the first 300 meters! By and large these goals were met.
Freshman Ava Crews ignored the unseasonable heat and humidity and upped her game once again on the hardest course we’ve faced this season by squeezing past her season best by a second, in 19:22 and placing 8th overall in a star studded line-up. Senior Jessica Durkee continues to gain confidence, and grabbed the second-to-last available, highly sought after medal count, placing 49th. This sounds like a ways back, but with over 300 athletes in the field, it’s a really solid finish. Sophomore Holly and junior Lindsey Velting showed that they are still up for the challenge of being a one-two-punch for the middle of our pack, with junior Lucy VanDemark and freshman Lydia Schilthroat following not too far behind to round out the top six. Meanwhile, junior Emma Thompson trudged on with her fatigued body after just getting over having a cold and not feeling quite herself.
In the JV race, junior Emmie MacDonald battled through stomach issues and a banged up ankle to finish in the medals in 44th place. Normally she would have raced varsity, but with her bad ankle, I didn’t want her to have that pressure, and I wanted her to feel ok about stepping off the course if it flared up. However, she’s not quite wired that way and she just toughed it out. She was followed by freshman Emma Dykhouse who had a heck of a race, looked really strong, and crossed the line a small handful of seconds off her season best! Behind her was sophomore Laine Hinton who didn’t have her fastest race, but put in a strong effort. Next was senior Kendall Snyder who had a magnificent first half of the race but then dealt with her body that she found suddenly rebelling against her. She had to stop, collect herself, and then she determined that she would carry on. She valiantly finished, but was a bit delirious from her efforts. Finally, Spaniard Eva Dominguez finished her second race of the season after dealing with knee pain for the last couple of weeks.
All in all, it was a tough day at the office, but it was a good opportunity. Each race provides a chance to learn something new about yourself. In today’s race there was that, and the chance to learn for the first time or remember what the Portage course is like for the regional meet coming up on October 30th. As usual the girls represented TK well.
October 2, 2021 - Otsego Invitational
Another solid effort by the team today with some really good showing, as well as some setbacks. In a very stacked field, freshman Ava Crews once again bumped elbows with the best of them, finishing in a very impressive tenth place overall, and with a PR of 19:23! She continues to look strong and she’s yet to reach her ceiling. She led the Trojans followed by senior leader Jessica Durkee, who produced a solid performance in 20:19. She was followed by sophomore Holly Velting, who is on a streak of going sub-21, this time in 21:43. She was followed by her sister, junior Lindsey Velting who is on a streak of her own, running her third sub-23 effort in a row in 22:27.She was followed by freshman dynamo, Lydia Schilthroat who is on a three meet stint of sub-23’s herself. Lucy VanDemark in only her second race of the season followed with a 23-minute effort, and to round out the top seven was junior, Emelia MacDonald who is often in our top three, but turned her ankle badly in the first mile, collected herself, and still managed to run a very respectable 23:51!
In the JV race, junior Emma Thompson led the Trojans in 23:32, followed by hard charging senior Kendall Snyder in 24:08. I’m not intentionally overlooking anyone, as everyone gave what they had on the day, but there were some exciting...interesting?...things happening deeper into our line-up. Senior Anna Benedict apparently didn’t think it was enough to be healing broken toes, to have recently taken a knee to the face in an unfortunate incident in P.E. which required several stitches, to have the additional responsibilities of being on the homecoming court...and subsequently becoming the homecoming queen...and to cheer in the varsity football game the night before, so even though she was encouraged to simply stay home and rest, she showed up at the meet and gave it her all. It wasn’t her fastest time, but fatigue and the inability to see clearly were certainly factors. Additionally, sophomore Marian Gielincki toed the line of her first meet after battling a knee injury, which still persists on some level, and ran a solid race in her own right. Finally, senior Olivia Landry broke a streak of sub-29 minute races, but in a positive direction by cracking the 28-minute barrier!
The girls ran solid races, especially in what has been a really busy week. They are such hard workers, they don’t back down from a challenge, and they showed this once again representing TK well in a very competitive invitational. However, there will be little reprieve as we will head to the Portage Invitational next weekend where the competition won’t be any lighter and the course will be a bit tougher, and I’m ok with that.
September 28, 2021 OK Gold Jamboree #2
If you are new to the team this year, you have probably figured out by now that I am a sap. Well sometimes I have race reports that are more for the girls and have little to do with time or place and likely are not particularly helpful to the media or if read at all, cared about on the TK Athletics website. This is one of those reports.
It was an innocent enough question: “How did they do tonight, Coach?” I felt myself gushing with pride.
“Oh my gosh. They were amazing!”
“Really? Where did they place?”
“I don’t know.”
“Huh, did they have fast times?”
I chuckled, “Ha, I don’t know that either, but boy did they light it up! I’m so proud of them.”
I’m sure I left the conversation with confusion just lingering in the air.
Only yesterday I expressed concern because so many of us were running in races with our eyes down. We talked about keeping our eyes up and being in the moment. We talked about not just running fast and running hard in a race, but being in a race and racing people. We talked about being our strongest in our toughest moments. Even though the girls were politely attentive as they always are in those moments, I never really know if it's making a difference. Maybe it didn’t. Maybe they flipped the switch just because they decided it was time to flip the switch. I’m good either way.
My high school coach and Coach B have an uncanny ability to pretty much know the score of the meet while it’s happening. I admire that. I’ve never been able to do it, and at this point I can’t wrap my head around it, but I’m sure that it is because of how I engage in a meet. I watch the meet very much the way I ask our girls to race...in the moment I am in. I’m looking at their eyes, their body language, their aura. I know...it’s hokey, but whatever. Well, just like I told the girls tonight, I have been watching them run in races all season but tonight I saw them really racing! When I looked at their faces there was clear determination. When I looked at their eyes there was focus and fire! They were gettin’ after it! I felt like something special was happening and that I was being blessed to see it unfold. Well, something was happening. We are starting to enter the back half of the season with more experience, with growth from the first half of the season, and with more confidence, and I love it!
After our race and cheering on the boys, I was walking back from about 400 meters from the finish. At that point, the results of our meet popped up on my phone. I was already just about breaking my arm patting myself on the back when God reminded me that I’m not in control and that pride comes before the fall. If I had my eyes on the race with wider vision I would have seen it, and subconsciously after seeing the results, I think I did, but chose to keep my vision narrow. I knew Forest Hills Eastern was going to win. We all knew that Forest Hills Eastern was going to win. We knew Ottawa Hills was going to be second in the same way. However, after that I thought, “Huh...maybe it’s us.”.
I saw that South Christian was third. “Dang it!”
Then I saw Cedar Springs was fourth. “Aw, man.”
Finally I saw Middleville Thornapple Kellogg...fifth. “Fifth?!...Fifth?...Huh.”
On the one hand I was disappointed, but then I reminded myself that we can’t control how the other teams run. I reminded myself that the girls did exactly what I had hoped they would do. On the line before the race I said, “Eyes up and race people.” They most certainly had their eyes up and were most certainly racing people.
Tonight we had Ava Crews, who has been setting fire to courses with her feet wherever she goes leading the way for us. We also had Jessica Durkee continuing to impress with experience, strength, and wisdom on race day. Today also featured a comeback from Emelia MacDonald who had sprained her ankle pretty badly a week prior. We also had our strong supporting cast of Holly Velting, Lydia Schilthroat, and Lindsey Velting continuing to move closer to the front. Next was something that has been a long time coming. Lucy VanDemark, in only her second race back, after battling a stress fracture busted her butt...not another injury this time, but rather a figure of speech...to get herself into our top seven. This is a place she occupied pretty much all of last season, if not the whole season, and she wanted back in. Tonight she arrived.
These were definitely not the only strong performances. As I mentioned, I saw a fight in our girls that I’ve been waiting to see, and it was in all of them. Times were fast, and admittedly the course was a bit suspect, but we all ran on the same course.
After tonight eyes start to get more focused on the “important” meets ahead, so this is a good time to really start getting our focus dialed in. Congratulations ladies. I would have liked to have gotten you to a third place position, but you displayed great heart. We still have more work to do, but we are heading in the right direction. It’s starting to come together. Regardless of our place or your times on the course tonight, I am proud of you. Very proud.
September 25, 2021 Chargers Autumn Sunrise Invitational
Personal and Season Records
A veteran return
A first time finisher
Solid performances
Another respectable showing for the Trojans at the Autumn Sunrise Invitational at Heritage Christian, hosted by Covenant Christian that featured 12 personal or season bests. Although the team results at the time of this writing are still being sorted out, I know we did not finish on the podium of three. Nevertheless, we had gutsy performances from our fastest to our slowest runner.
I’m going to start by congratulating our exchange student from Spain, Eva Dominguez Gil De Muro on completing her first ever high school cross country race for TK! We had been working on getting her to run three miles continuously and after a hard workout on Wednesday, it was time to strap on the uniform. She finished admirably and I was anxious to see this happen!
All of our JV runners gave it what they had and there were a good handful of personal bests, but there are a few notables I want to highlight. We had the return of Lucy VanDemark who has been battling a stress fracture in her foot all summer and throughout this season. In her first attempt back at racing she led all of our JV crew and it was wonderful to see her gettin’ after it again. Additionally, Ainsley Oliver had a strong showing in 23:38, smashing her previous season best of 25:16, and coming in second for our JV team. She was followed by a breakthrough race by freshman Emma Dykhouse who hit 24:20, which bested her previous fastest time of 25:44, and Laine Hinton with a similar previous best, dropped her time to 24:34.
In the varsity race, freshman Ava Crews continued her streak of impressive performances leading TK with a personal best which shattered the 20-minute barrier in 19:40. She continues to test her limits, and even though she ran a great race, I believe she still has yet to tap her full potential. Following Ava was senior Jessica Durkee who ran a brilliant race, besting her season’s previous time by about 20-seconds and I have a feeling she is going to break 20-minutes before her season is over. Sophomore Holly Velting expressed her fitness by landing a 21:08. She was followed by junior Lindsey Velting (22:20; two seconds faster than her season best), freshman Lydia Schilthroat (22:41; up from 23:25), junior Emma thompson (22:59; up from 24:21) and senior Kendall Snyder who helped set the tone early for our middle of the pack in 23;15; which was 15 seconds faster than her previous season best.
It was a good day to race and it was a flat course that allowed for some fast times, which is always fun. We had great efforts and I’m pleased with where we are but, we still have work to do if we want to arrive at where we want to be. We beat the two teams in the meet that are in our regional, but I know better than to put too much stock into that at this point, especially since not all of South Christian’s heavy hitters were on hand. I still very much believe in all of our girls and I think we’re heading in the right direction.
September 13, 2021 Coach B Invitational
Three season bests
Learning more about ourselves
Having a nice day a Gun Lake
Whew! That was a loooong day for me. I’m glad that all the storms did not make their way south to Yankee Springs. Coach Reynolds and I saw the dark, ominous, clouds to the north when we were setting up, but the positive energy of the Coach B Invitational apparently held them off.
Caledonia once again inserted their dominance against the field of seven teams today, and a strong Kalamazoo Central team brought enough heat to earn second. I was hoping we would take second, but holding off the second half of the teams for third is still respectable. Furthermore, our girls gave what they had on the day, so I can’t ask for more..
Today was a day to test ourselves in new ways, to play around with personal race strategies, and a day to work hard. It was not a day to full-on go to the well, and I believe that in general, our girls showed up pretty darn strong.
We had freshman Ava Crews once again leading the charge and again running in the low 20s, and only six seconds away from winning the whole meet! Two of our team leaders, senior Jessica Durkee and junior Emelia MacDonald followed not too far behind, with Emelia earning a season record on the day.
Not feeling quite their best, but still pounding it out were junior Lindsey Velting and sophomore Holly Velting. Next, rounding out the top seven were Lydia Schilthorat, earning a season record, and junior Emma Thompson.
Our remaining team members had respectable races they can feel good about, but of particular note was senior Anna Benedict, who ran a season best with two recently broken toes! Another performance of note was from Olivia Landry who landed her third sub-29 minute 5k this season, and this being a time she did not hit until after six meets into the season last year!
Right now I feel like we are still trying to find our rhythm and flow. We seem to have a missing piece here and a missing piece there each meet and it’s never the same. I’m not making excuses, but rather making an observation. We have a strong team, we just haven’t all put things together on the same day to have as strong of a showing that I know our girls are capable of yet. With four meets under our belt, I think we are still dancing around our potential. However, I would rather be doing this now than in the later part of our season.
On a different note, it was great having Coach B at the invitational that boats her name. It’s always nice to have her on hand providing support and encouragement, and I’m glad the day turned out as nice as it did, especially since we were unable to host this meet last year.
September 8, 2021 OK Gold Jamboree #1
Some solid performances.
Some tough days at the office
Some weird mishaps (you know who you are...ankle...toes…)
...and I’m ok with that.
We placed sixth out of eight teams tonight. One of our top runners was not fully recovered from a surgery and wisely stepped off the course mid-race. Our individual race strategies need some minor adjustments. We are still missing two of our returning top seven. Not everyone had a great night. We had a long and winding road from Kenowa Hills to Cedar Springs. And I am ok with it; with all of it!
We had three season and/or personal bests tonight. We had two of our top seven in the top 15 in a very tough conference. We had a handful of girls really battle through a “tough day at the office” when they could have easily backed down...but did not! We experienced an opportunity to learn about ourselves. We have a conference that may look at us and take us for granted as we work our way up. And I am ok with all of that too.
I won’t tell you I wasn’t looking for us to be closer to 4th place rather than 6th place in our first meet, but I do believe it will come. I have said from the start that our team this year is a snowball rolling down the mountain. I still believe that. We’ll keep chopping wood and carrying water.
As I noted, we had a handful of fast times and we had a handful of rough times. Regardless, each one of our girls gave maximum effort on the day with what they were given. That’s what I ask of them and it is what they ask of themselves. And I am very ok with that.
* A special congratulations to those who had PRs/SRs tonight:
Ava nearly broke 20-minutes in 20:00.47 dropping her time six seconds.
Kendall dropped six seconds and is edging toward breaking 23 a little at a time.
Brooke dropped a minute and 20 seconds!!!
September 3, 2021 Caledonia Dual Meet
We had a super solid showing today!
As I said after the race, you represented yourselves really well. To have a score: Caledonia 21 v. TK 38 is something we can feel good about! ...I’m not saying we’re settling, but we can be happy when we perform well while controlling everything we have control over (positive attitude, good decision making, and giving maximum effort).
There were some pretty fast times today, which was fun to see!
We had solid support from those who could not run today...including our parents!!!
Eva (pronounced “Ava”) our new teammate from Spain got to experience a meet first hand in a support role and we are happy to have her with us!
I am proud of all of you!
We stood near the starting line this morning admiring the pink hues of the sunrise on a day which was the kind of race day we like to see. We had relatively cool temps, next to no wind, and positivity abounding. Running on a fast course does not guarantee fast times, because you still have to put in the effort to earn it. This morning, on a fast course in Caledonia, which featured varied terrain and scenery, our girls ran with determination and with no intention of rolling over for an admittedly strong contingent of Fighting Scots.
Ava Crews, Jessica Durkee, and Holly Velting, got after it and wedged their way into the Scots top seven, thus making a statement that “we are here” and preventing a sweep. Meanwhile, Lindsey Velting and Kendall Snyder were competitive in the middle of our team bringing needed energy. Additionally, Maddie Nagel on her season racing debut and Emma Thompson brought the heat rounding out the top seven.
I’m proud once again of our girls, as I always am. They never back down from a challenge and they always give their maximum effort on the day.
Of course there were many more performances of note with big jumps in time. It’s always fun to have a fast time, but we will also continue to keep perspective. We understand that cross country courses are not the same, weather is always a factor, we will show up to compete against whoever toes the line with us, and we will give what we’ve got, regardless of what the clock says when we cross the line.
Next we travel to Cedar Springs for our first OK Gold Jamboree where we will get a sense of where we stand in our conference at this time.
August 28, 2021 - Harper Creek Optimist Invitational
We accomplished what we set out to do, which was to have a positive experience and to test the system to see where we are right now. The challenge with a meet as hot and humid as this one is that although it gives an indication of where we are, it does not tell the whole story with regards to our fitness level. However, I’m ok with this right now.
What was confirmed for me through today’s meet.
Our girls are tough and do not back down from a challenge.
We have a couple of freshmen who are going to challenge for the top seven, as I thought they would.
We are a strong team, but we have work to do to really discover what this team is capable of. At this point in the season, I’m glad we are as solid as we are but still have room to grow. We don’t want to peak at the first meet.
Where our girls finished in the top 7 on our team today may be in a different order or even different people throughout the season. This is a good problem to have when our girls are running well.
We are who I thought we are and that’s a good thing.
The Harper Creek Optimist Invitational was a solid season opener for us. With the heat and humidity being one of our strongest opponents today, they still took on the challenge with determination. A very strong, Division I team, in the form of the St. Joseph High School dominated the course that offered some rolling hills, some deep wet grass, and a wooded trail. Nevertheless, freshman Ava Crews led the Trojans to a very respectable runner-up spot on the team podium, which brought home a trophy to show for our efforts.
Today wasn’t a day to smash yourself. It was more of a day for running smart and living to fight another day. This isn’t to say that our girls didn’t work hard and fight with what they had on the day. It’s just to say that it wasn’t a day to go digging deep into the well, and I believe our girls ran intelligent races respectively.
Based on what I had seen going into this race, I expected Ava to be our front runner. She is very fit and very motivated. She was right up there with the St. Joe girls the whole way. I don’t really want to get too much into race times, but with a 20:56 in these conditions, I expect to see her time dip closer to the 19’s by the end of the season.
It’s always good to have a front runner to get your foot in the door, so to speak, but you also need a strong supporting cast and we have one! Senior Durkee was not too far behind Ava, and was being followed by Junior Emmie MacDonald and shortly after, Sophomore Holly Velting. All three of these girls are going to continue to shine even brighter as the season progresses and I think the top five may be a revolving door depending on the day.
Junior Lindsey Velting, followed by senior Kendall Snyder, and then hot on her heels, freshman Lydia Schilthroat rounded out our top 7. This is a super strong group. Throw in Lucy VanDemark and Maddie Nagel in the mix when they are healthy, and we will have an even stronger core!!! This is exciting stuff!
This team is something special and its going to continue to get stronger and stronger throughout the season.
Although our top 7 had fabulous performances, they are not the end of the story. The rest of the team pushed themselves and set the groundwork for further improvement, but showed that they are here to get after it!
One performance I want to note in particular was that of senior Kelsey Smith. I won’t get into the details, but from having a really rough workout earlier this week to running as strong and as confident as she did today was great to see.
I can’t let this go without giving our freshmen a little more love. Ava, we all knew what you were but it sure was fun to see and we know you are not done yet! Lydia, you are one tough nut and you are on the verge of something special. Keep bringin’ it! Emma D. and Brooke!!! I’m so proud of you!!! Don’t ever sell yourselves short. Keep showin’ gettin’ after it!
We also saw gutsy performances from Emma T. who was not feeling quite like herself today, and from Kate who is on the move! Additionally, Laine, Anna, and Olivia who toughed it out to the very end.
Ladies, I am very proud of each and every one of you. You represented yourselves and TK well today!