Running Round Table

The end of summer is near, signaling the start of the school year for students and parents alike. For the student-athletes, though, August brings about the exciting rebirth of competition. Often, these athletes spend the hot summer months training for the moment they once again don their high school's uniform and shoulder the hopes of their teammates and peers. In the spirit of all the beads of sweat that have been and will be shed, VYPE High School Sports Magazine talked with some of the top female cross-country runners in the area. The girls opened up about their past accomplishments, favorite races, and even some pre-race superstitions. Despite the differences, all of the girls have one thing in common: the potential to walk away with the 2008 individual state championship. Chatard senior Carly Sobolewski is a three-time member of the All-City team and a two-time state qualifier. After placing 18th out of 194 runners in the state meet last year, she plans on making the jump into this year's top 10. Westfield senior Kaitlyn Love has made a substantial impact on Shamrock racing. She has been named to three All-Conference and All-State teams and finished eighth in the state meet last year. Perhaps even more impressively, Love was voted team captain at Westfield as a junior- guiding the Shamrocks to a third straight state championship. Her teammate, sophomore Waverly Neer, is going into 2008 with big expectations. As a freshman, Neer received All-Sectional, Regional, Semistate and State honors and capped it off with a 23rd place finish at state. Franklin senior Lyndsey Wall is the defending Johnson County Champion and a former conference champion. Wall finished 31st at last year's state meet and has an uphill battle to get back to that level. During the spring track and field season, Wall broke a bone on the inside of her right foot. Even with that setback, Wall looks forward to defending her county title and moving up the state ranks. Like Wall, Carmel senior Kelly McCurdy is also rehabbing an injury. Tendonitis in her right ankle put the Greyhounds' No. 1 runner on the shelf for the entire postseason last year, but McCurdy already has one top-25 finish at the state meet on her résumé. If she has anything to say about it, another one is on the horizon. Fellow Greyhound, sophomore Mackenzie Skwarcan, emerged as one of the strongest on the team after McCurdy's injury. Skwarcan was coming off an injury herself and had only two meets under her belt before entering the postseason, which she capped off with a 32nd place finish at the state meet. Center Grove senior Sarah Higgens placed second to Lyndsey Wall in the county meet last year, but finished in 11th place at the state meet. Higgens is also a three-time state qualifier and has improved on her place every year. With five of last year's top 10 having graduated, all signs point to her having another strong showing. Cathedral junior Paige Mason is a two-time All-City and All-State runner with a strong pedigree. Mason's older brother is now a cross country runner for the Air Force Academy and a good role model for the young runner looking to improve on her 43rd place finish in last year's state meet. VYPE: First of all, what's the most memorable part of running in the state cross country meet? Carly Sobolewski: Just getting there was cool, but the best part about running (last year in Terre Haute) was that you could see the finish line from just about anywhere on the course. Kaitlyn Love: It was a big accomplishment to make it as an individual, but it was more exciting for me to see us make it as a team and see all the hard work that we put in pay off. Mackenzie Skwarcan: The finish. On the last straightaway, you can see the podium. Paige Mason: Stepping up to the starting line and letting go of all my nerves and getting ready to run. Kelly McCurdy: When I found out I got 25th (in 2006). It's the cutoff line for making All-State, so I was really excited. VYPE: Obviously the state meet is important, but which regular season meet do you look forward to the most? Lyndsey Wall: County, because the competition is so good and it's a good indicator of how well I'm running. Sarah Higgens: Probably the Brebeuf meet. It's the first meet of the year and I get to see how well my summer training paid off. McCurdy: The meet at Culver (Academy). It's a cool atmosphere and a lot of the top competitors are there. It gives you a feel for how good you are. Sobolewski: I'd say Brebeuf. The scenery is awesome. VYPE: Five kilometers (3.1 miles) is a long way. What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about running a cross country race? Waverly Neer: To run for my teammates. It gives me extra motivation to run for someone besides myself. McCurdy: To not think about my time and just go compete. (My time)'s usually better when I do that. Sobolewski: Don't fall asleep in the middle. Since it's easy to get excited for the first K and the last K, the middle is where you need to focus and run a good race. Mason: To ignore everything (besides the course). Fight through the pain and focus on the course. VYPE: So how do you know when to "kick it in" during a 5K race? Love: I like to go out pretty hard for the first mile. Sometimes I fall back a little, but I can usually finish strong. Neer: Well, each race is different, but the 300 (meters)-to-go mark is where I try to 'reach deeper.' At least, that's what we call it. Higgens: I usually pick it up after the first K. I like to lead, but if I'm towards the front on the last K, I feel pretty good where I'm at. Wall: As the seasons have gone on, I've just learned to feel it. I probably kick sooner than most runners, but I like to try to hold it for a while. VYPE: Most people think of cross country as an individual sport. As a leader on your team, what do you do to push your teammates that extra mile? Sobolewski: I just try to get to know everybody, that way if they need something, they'll feel like they can come to me and I can help then the best I can. Love: What I try to do is just work really hard and do my best every single practice and hopefully everyone else follows. I think that's the best way to do it. Skwarcan: We know we're all teammates, so I think we're all pushing each other. A lot of times, we'll even do strength training and core workouts together after practice. Wall: I'm not really vocal. I think that setting a good example is important and so is treating everyone nicely, especially the young runners. That way, it encourages them to work hard and do what I do. VYPE: A lot of athletes have unique tendencies. Do you have any pre-race rituals or superstitions? Mason: Before every race, I eat half a bagel, half a banana, drink half a Gatorade and half a bottle of water. Higgens: Having your shoes come untied is probably the most annoying thing in the world when you're running. It happened to me once and so now, I tie each of my shoes seven times. When I'm done, it's just a little ball on top of my shoe. Love: I wear the exact same pair of socks, I do my stretches in the exact same order and I put on my spikes at the exact same time every single race.- side bar 1 10 Boys Runners to Watch for in 2008 Drew Shields, Fishers (senior) Dylan Sorenson, Zionsville (senior) Scott Lasiter, Franklin Central (senior) Logan Rosenberg, Carmel (senior) Daniel Kinn, Carmel (senior) Zach Tranter, Franklin (senior) Caleb Pack, Warren Central (senior) Michael Jordan, Pike (senior) Alex Shields, Fishers (senior) Nathan Hendershot, Pendleton Heights (junior)