Oglethorpe County on the podium celebrating their trophy. Photo by Melissa McGarity
Path to the Podium: Oglethorpe County Girls, 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 Melissa McGarity of Oglethorpe County, to talk about her girl's 4th place finish at the Class AA State Championship.
XC 2020
∙ any seniors that set a good example or laid the foundation?
Katie Wadsworth and Ella Stoudenmire; they were both VERY tough and very competitive! Katie has been running XC since Middle School and has a great work ethic. Ella joined our team after softball season ended in 2019 and helped us to finish 2nd in state that year. In Fall 2020, Ella was a dual sport athlete who did XC workouts before school every day and went to softball practice after school every day. Her fierceness and determination is like no other student athlete I've ever known before.
∙ any results that gave motivation (good or bad)
Lizzie Wadsworth finished 7th at state last year, followed by Ella in 14th place, and her sister Katie in 17th place. The top 10 finish for Lizzie was really motivating for her to keep moving up each year. As a freshman in 2019, Lizzie placed 13th. We finished 4th as a team again in 2020.
Winter 2020
∙ Anyone that stepped up their training with XC already in mind
Lizzie Wadsworth is a year-round runner. She was a member of our State Runner-up team in 2019 and our girls 2021 state Track champion team. She doesn't quit running! Lizzie is definitely our girls' leader and sets a good example for other team members by training in the off-season.
∙ any setbacks/challenges that had to be overcome? Two of our 2020 juniors (who are now seniors) decided not to run XC as seniors. That left us with only Lizzie returning for our girls XC team.
Track 2021
∙ anyone that had a breakout season, or new additions, that changed the outlook of XC?
Again, Lizzie is our only returning XC runner, but had a great 2021 track season and is a member of the State Champion 4 x 800m and 4 x 400m teams; she also finished 3rd in the 1600m run, and 5th in the 800m
Summer 2021
∙ any new additions that changed the outlook for XC
Freshman Harper Palmer joined us over the summer and really worked hard
∙ early goals for the season
Honestly, we were just trying to get enough girls to have a team!
∙ how the team handled summer training
Lizzie, led the way in summer training and freshmen Harper Palmer & Sarah Taft also worked hard.
Season 2021
∙ anyone that had a breakout season that changed the outlook
We knew from watching our Middle School runners that freshman Sydnie Henderson would be good. But we didn't realize what a natural runner she would be! I was worried that the additional 1+ mile in race length would be tough for her to adjust to, but she didn't skip a beat and has been very good for us this year.
∙ any revisions of goals?
Our goal for each year remains the same: to win state. However, we knew that the state competition was going to be tough and I'm so proud that our girls placed 4th at the big meet.
∙ any setbacks/challenges that had to be overcome?
With a very young team and 4 out of 6 girls never having run high school cross country, we've struggled with the mental aspect XC; it's so hard physically, but even more so mentally to keep running when your body is screaming at you and all you want to do is stop; Commitment has also been a little tough. With such a young team, it's hard for them to realize the importance of continual work and how working hard in the off season and early XC season can only make us better when it comes to the big races. Our girls didn't see the whole picture.
∙ in hindsight, key moments of the season that led to the State result
Once Sydnie realized that she could keep up with Lizzie in races, they started pushing each other more in meets and practices