Path to the Podium: Whitefield Academy Boys, by Andy Christie
Looking at State Results is interesting enough, for us fans of high school cross country. However, finding out what it took for teams to reach that point makes those places and point totals that much more fascinating.
Making the podium (top 4) as a team and earning a State trophy is the goal for many teams when they start preparing for XC after Track ends. Whether it is the thrill of a program making it for the first time, the pride of keeping a tradition alive, or the exhilaration of a return to the top after an absence, climbing the stairs to the podium is the dream of harriers hoping to end their season on a high note.
We've asked coaches to reflect on what it took to get their team to the podium at the 2021 Georgia State Cross Country Meet. Next up is Coach Kelly Rothwell of Whitefield Academy, to talk about her boy's Class 1A Private State Championship.
XC 2020
any
seniors that set a good example or laid the foundation?
We actually did not have any seniors
in 2020 on the boys team
any results that gave motivation (good or bad)?
At
the region championships, we were predicted to lose to Paideia. I (Coach
Rothwell) asked Peyton, Taylor, Sebastian, and Andrew to pack run, which they
had never done before in a race. Andrew had not been able to run close
to the other boys in any other race. They finished 3, 4, 5, 6 winning Region.
It was at this race that they realized what they could do together. They also
started to believe that they could have a chance at winning state in 2021. This
was a pivotal race for Andrew because he realized he could push through the
pain and hang onto his teammates. It boomeranged him into state where he
finished second behind Peyton for the team. That was the best he had done all
season. Blaise struggled with an Achilles injury for the second year in a row
at the state meet. It kept him from improvement during the XC season, but
instead of letting the injury get him down, he used it as fuel to the fire to
rest and then do well in spring track
Winter 2020
Anyone that stepped up their training with XC
already in mind?
Taylor and Peyton began training in the winter
for the first time ever. Peyton began training for his first season of Track
after declaring that he no longer wanted to play Tennis in the spring.
mindset of the non-seniors?
The non-seniors walked into the
post-season energized and excited to do well in the track season because of all
of the success they had in the XC season.
any
setbacks/challenges that had to be overcome?
Sebastian continued to fight a back
injury that developed during XC and Peyton had a shoulder injury that
developed
Track 2021
anyone that had a breakout season, or new
additions, that changed the outlook of XC
Andrew was late to starting the season due to covid and then
complications after covid. He was hoping to just beat 5:00 in the mile, and
ended up getting a 4:44 by the end of the season. He also made state in the 800
and 4 x 800 as a freshmen, which helped him gain confidence in his abilities.
Blaise ran a 2:13 at area and performed well in the 4 x 800. He was able to
keep off injury for the season and began to see that he still had more
improvement in him.
anyone
that was already expected to contribute, but still had a good season
Peyton and Taylor were expected to
be huge contributors to the track program in the 1600 and 3200 and both
performed very well. Peyton was hoping for sub-10 in the 3200 and then got
9:37.69 at state and placed 5th. Taylor was also hoping for sub 10
and got a 9:44 at state.
Summer 2021
any
new additions that changed the outlook for XC
Coach Barnett moved to Wesleyan and
Coach Holthus moved into the Head Coach position. Coach Rothwell (who started
coaching at Whitefield in 2020) stepped in to coaching the Varsity boys. Freshmen Riley Hugues and Cavin
Estep joined us and were huge contributors to the varsity team. It gave
us the number 5 that we were missing the year before.
early
goals for the season
Train hard on hills the whole season
so that we thought the hills in Carrollton were a joke. Win state.
how
the team handled summer training
The varsity boys did an excellent
job of being consistent in their training. They even trained during vacation on
their own. We trained weekly at the Kennesaw mountain trails. We did lots of
hill running over the summer in preparation for Carrollton. They did all that
their coach asked them to do.
any
setbacks/challenges that had to be overcome?
Peyton struggled with a sudden onset
of asthma during this season that inhibited his training during the summer and
early in the xc season.
Season 2021
anyone
that had a breakout season that changed the outlook?
Taylor came out on fire at the first
two meets winning at Wesleyan and Westminster (Kosh) and then ran a sub-16:00
at Starr's mill. We weren't sure how Riley would
actually do because he did not run XC or track in 2020-2021. He trained hard
over the summer, and then ran a sub-19 at Starr's Mill and showed us that he
was a strong 5th for us.
how early
results compared to any goals?
Taylor got his goal for the season
at Starr's mill (sub-16) and began to realize he could cut down more time. Andrew was hoping for 16:30 for the
season, but then ran 16:32 at Starr's mill and 16:52 in Carrolton and realized
that he could do better than he thought. Peyton had a rough start to the
season with some asthma and it band issues. We actually had higher goals for
Peyton that he struggled to meet until he got to Asics and finally hit sub 16.
any revisions of
goals?
We stuck to the plan and kept
pressing forward, knowing that if we kept to consistency, all of the boys would
get to where they needed to be.
any
setbacks/challenges that had to be overcome?
The fast freshmen boys had a hard
time feeling like part of the varsity team. They preferred to train with the
other JV freshmen, but as the season progressed and the team spent more time
together, they found that they did enjoy hanging out with each other. They
started to see how they were teammates. A pivotal point for Riley was Asics,
where he lost BOTH of his shoes in a rough start, and when he finished, the
varsity team really rallied behind him and gave him tremendous accolades for
how cool they though he was for running sub 18:00 barefoot. He realized then
that they were for him.
in
hindsight, key moments of the season that led to the State result?
When the boys finished 7th at
Starr's mill against strong teams in all divisions, our goal of hoping to win
state became more of a feeling of "we've got this!" We started to get
invitations to championship races at Wingfoot, Asics, and Coach Wood, which had
never happened before in Whitefield history. We realized that we had a special
team this year and an amazing chance at not only winning state but being one of
the top ranked teams in GA