Liberty Bell XC: Okanogan Highlands League Championships (MS) -- 10/18/2023

Okanogan Highlands League Championships – 10/14/2023

This went out a bit later than usual as I was out of town this past weekend, visiting my alma mater. I was reminded of how lasting the relationships formed by teammates can be. There is a camaraderie formed from training together and pushing each other and celebrating the successes of each other, which this entire team exhibited throughout the season. You ran with teammates and stretched with teammates and goofed off with teammates and, I hope, at the end of the day, had a lot of fun with your teammates. I have enjoyed coaching you all this year and whatever you decide to do next, I wish you the best of luck!

Course Length – 1.5 miles

General Notes – This was the final race of the season! The course is a bit strange, with grass, gravel, dirt, sand, and rocks all appearing at some point on the loop. The opening half mile is always slow at Oroville, and the closing half mile is always fast. Also, we were a bit off when taking mile splits. The times posted are probably 20-30 seconds slower than your actual split. It ended up being a very nice day – maybe even slightly warm. Overall, really well done! Congratulations to both teams for capping off awesome seasons with team victories!

The Liberty Bell Girls won with a score of 22 points. Okanogan was 2nd with 52 points. There were 55 athletes and 4 scoring teams in the race.

The Liberty Bell Boys won with a score of 24. Tonasket was 2nd with a score of 50. There were 65 athletes and 6 scoring teams in the race.

Wyatt – One mile: 7:24. Finish: 10:21, 28th place. Average: 6:54.

Despite missing a couple of weeks mid-season due to injury your fitness has returned. You Tied your PR on a tough course and actually ran faster than the shorter course at Leavenworth. What a great way to finish the season and your middle school cross-country career. I am looking forward to seeing you perform in track season.

Anja – One mile: 7:04. Finish: 9:58, 7th place. Average: 6:38.

Yay, sub 10 minutes! What a way to end your middle school cross-country career! You really put yourself in the race and competed with the lead pack. The past couple of races you have found yourself in no man’s land, so I loved seeing you get to race with people. Despite dealing with some knee pain, you looked strong and smooth the entire race. Amazing job!

Sisu –One mile: 7:52. Finish: 1:07, 20th place. Average: 7:24.

Amazing running! You set out with a goal and a great mindset. You PR’d in a big way and on a course that is not easy. I know it was tough out there but you brought the heart, the grit and the strength. You do such an amazing job of running with your teammates and this race was no exception. Even though I know at the end you got caught a little alone, you stayed in it, finishing strong. Yay!

Elliot P – One mile: 8:13. Finish: 11:21, 44th place. Average: 7:34.

Wahoo! You absolutely crushed your goal of PR’ing. And you did it in a very smart and thoughtful way. You drove your knees on the uphills, raced those around you and got faster throughout the race. Plus, looking at last year’s race here, you are about a minute faster this year! That shows serious improvement, coming from hard work, commitment and determination. Nice job!

Madie – One mile: 7:49. Finish: 10:47, 16th place. Average: 7:11.

This is the way you end a season; a hard run with teammates, an exciting kick with a pack at the end, and of course, a PR. You ran 9 seconds faster than you ever have and you ran 22 seconds faster than you did last year on this same, tough, course. I loved the way you paced yourself with teammates and then competed all the way to the finish. Nice way to finish your middle school cross country career.

Cassius – One mile: 7:35. Finish: 10:26m 31st place. Average: 6:57.

Before the race you said you wanted to give it a total effort and you did. You looked like you were concentrating and working hard the entire race. This resulted in a PR and a 25 second improvement from our home meet (and this on a much tougher course). What a great way to end your middle school cross country career!

River – One mile: 6:09. Finish: 8:46, 5th place. Average: 5:50.

Sub 9 minutes! You did a great job of staying attached to the lead pack as long as you could and competing. That was great racing! I’m glad you didn’t seem to have any hamstring trouble and didn’t roll your ankle despite all the obstacles. Congrats on a great final middle school cross country race and a shiny new PR.

Dylan – One mile: 9:06. Finish: 12:48, 55th place. Average: 8:32.

You saved your best for last and your hard work these last few weeks showed. You ran a PR. You ran 29 seconds faster than at our home meet AND you ran 26 seconds faster than the short course at Leavenworth. You can’t ask much more of yourself than that.

Kimball – One mile: 7:34. Finish: 10:39, 36th place. Average: 7:06.

Last middle school xc race and a PR! You looked relaxed and ran a very smart race. It’s fun to see you racing with teammates and pushing each other on a tough course. Like normal you had a strong finishing kick. You continued to improve the whole season and no better way to close out the season than with a PR. Congrats!

Posey – One mile: 7:29. Finish: 10:32, 9th place. Average: 7:01.

Great racing out there! Sounds like the section full of obstacles was particularly tricky and I’m so sorry you rolled your ankle. Despite those challenges, you did a great job of racing with people and being courageous. You did an awesome job of getting out quick and then settling in. I am always impressed by your positivity and your tenacity, you are racing smarter and learning to channel those nerves into race energy. Keep it up!

Bhavana – One mile: 9:15. Finish: 13:03, 40th place. Average: 8:42.

What a great ending to your first year of cross country. You ran a PR by 38 seconds! And you did this on a tough course. I liked the way you paced yourself initially but then increased the tempo. You started out smooth and steady but then passed at least 4 runners in the second half of the race.

Luke – One mile: 6:36. Finish: 9:21, 12th place. Average: 6:14.

What a great race! You have improved and gotten stronger over each race this season and to PR at our last race is perfect timing. That means all your hard work, training and racing experience is adding up and paying off. I think you also did a nice job attacking the hills with confidence and being mentally present in your race. Plus you beat last year’s time at this race!

Nina – One mile: 7:29. Finish: 10:34, 11th place. Average: 7:02.

Keep your head up! Despite a poorly marked course and volunteers not paying attention, you still put together a great race. You found some teammates to run with and competed all the way through the end. You were only 1 second off of your time at the home meet which was a PR AND this was a tougher course. We can work on your foot speed so you can out sprint people next year.

Maren – One mile: 7:49. Finish: 10:44, 13th place. Average: 7:09.

What a tremendous finish! You looked smooth and controlled in the first half then turned on the speed. You made up at least 10 places in the second half of the race and you outkicked almost every runner in the pack you were running with which made for an especially exciting finish. Your ability to pull your teammates along was inspiring to watch.

Sammy – One mile: 7:00. Finish: 9:39, 1st place. Average: 6:26.

Way to end your middle school cross country career with a win and a PR! Not a bad way to celebrate your birthday. That was truly excellent racing. It was great to see you working with Lena and Karen the whole race and wow what a strong finishing kick! You improved so much throughout the season; it was truly awesome to watch. Great job!

Soren – One mile: 5:57. Finish: 8:18, 1st place. Average: 5:32.

Congrats! You ran great and matched your PR. You looked calm and collected throughout, which is stellar since running is part mental and part physical. It means you did an impressive job of channeling your race energy and staying focused. Fabulous job using your arms on the uphills and always keeping your eyes up and aware.

Firn – One mile: 9:11. Finish: 12:40, 39th place. Average: 8:26.

Way to push through a tough race! You started out conservatively and paced with some teammates early in the race. Then you were able to pick up the pace and pull away after the mile. You looked smooth and focused the entire race, and like you were enjoying racing. Amazing finish to middle school cross country!

Elsa – One mile: 8:05. Finish: 11:23, 27th place. Average: 7:35.

Nice job! This was one of your faster races this year. Terrific job of racing with your teammates, as always. I think it also pushed you harder this time, but not too much because you ran very consistently, if even speeding up a bit during the second half of the race. Excellent work finding that balance and staying focused and calm. You got faster and raced smarter throughout this season and it was fun to see, I hope you also had fun!

Ava – One mile: 8:04. Finish: 11:27, 28th place. Average: 7:38.

Congrats on completing a great season and middle school cross-country career. I loved the way you ran with your teammates, both pulling them along and feeding your own energy. You looked like you kept a smooth and steady effort throughout the race and then you were able to impressively out kick the two girls near you at the end. I sure hope you decide to run track!