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Cross Country team has strength in attitude, effort
By Ainslee S. Wittig/arizona range news
With two of last year's state qualifiers and eight returning runners on Willcox High School's Cross Country team, Head Coach Calvin King believes the teams - seven boys and seven girls -- will be competitive.
"On the boys' team, four are right in there, and three aren't far behind. Eli Webster, who qualified for state last year, will be highly competitive - I think he'll finish in the top 10 in a lot of our meets," the first-year coach said.
Webster ran a 3-mile course in 18:24 minutes last year and said, "I'm gonna go to state this year too."
"The girls will have a bit more of a struggle - they will compete, but it will take them a bit longer to get where they're going to be," King said.
Kendal Hale, a sophomore this year, qualified for state last year, but was injured. She ran one the qualifying meet in just over 24:21 minutes and hopes to run as best as she can this year.
The strengths of these teams, he said, "is in their attitude. They are really putting out the effort."
But King said a problem this year is that he still does not know what the state qualifying times will be.
"The AIA (Arizona Interscholastic Association) has changed the individual sports so that there are no longer conferences. They will not have conference (regional) championship qualifying meet (which allowed the top 20 individuals and top half of the teams in the meet to go to state). Now they have to meet a qualifying time, but we don't know what it is yet. I don't know whether to tell them they have to run it in 20 minutes or 25 minutes. I don't know how to set a goal for them," he said.
Not everyone on the team runs to win, however.
Senior Melody Motes said, "I'm doing this to get my body in shape for a future career in the military; I'm going into the Army."
Senior Carlie Crockett, a first-year runner, said, "I am doing cross country because it is something I can do on my own - set my own goals."
Senior Sarah Grimes said, "I just joined Cross Country this year, and it was intimidating at first, but the more experienced runners are so supportive that I already feel like a part of the team."
The teams started competition on Tuesday at Benson.
Friday, Sept. 3, they travel to Thatcher for a 2:30 p.m. meet.
"On the boys' team, four are right in there, and three aren't far behind. Eli Webster, who qualified for state last year, will be highly competitive - I think he'll finish in the top 10 in a lot of our meets," the first-year coach said.
Webster ran a 3-mile course in 18:24 minutes last year and said, "I'm gonna go to state this year too."
"The girls will have a bit more of a struggle - they will compete, but it will take them a bit longer to get where they're going to be," King said.
Kendal Hale, a sophomore this year, qualified for state last year, but was injured. She ran one the qualifying meet in just over 24:21 minutes and hopes to run as best as she can this year.
The strengths of these teams, he said, "is in their attitude. They are really putting out the effort."
But King said a problem this year is that he still does not know what the state qualifying times will be.
"The AIA (Arizona Interscholastic Association) has changed the individual sports so that there are no longer conferences. They will not have conference (regional) championship qualifying meet (which allowed the top 20 individuals and top half of the teams in the meet to go to state). Now they have to meet a qualifying time, but we don't know what it is yet. I don't know whether to tell them they have to run it in 20 minutes or 25 minutes. I don't know how to set a goal for them," he said.
Not everyone on the team runs to win, however.
Senior Melody Motes said, "I'm doing this to get my body in shape for a future career in the military; I'm going into the Army."
Senior Carlie Crockett, a first-year runner, said, "I am doing cross country because it is something I can do on my own - set my own goals."
Senior Sarah Grimes said, "I just joined Cross Country this year, and it was intimidating at first, but the more experienced runners are so supportive that I already feel like a part of the team."
The teams started competition on Tuesday at Benson.
Friday, Sept. 3, they travel to Thatcher for a 2:30 p.m. meet.
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