On November 2, the Bellefonte Cross Country team would travel to Hershey to compete in the PIAA boys and girls state championships for a chance to race for a title.
The Raiders would send four runners total to the state championship meet: two on the girls and two on the boys. For the boys they would send senior Kaiden Williams and sophomore Maverick Muchmore; for the girls, they sent two juniors, Addison “Addie” Fry and Natalie Jolley.
Going to a championship is a big deal. Natalie found herself in shock, as anyone would when she realized that she had qualified for a state championship.
“I was in utter shock when I found out I was making it to the PIAA championships. The competition this year was tough but I’m so glad that I pushed through the race and made it to the state meet,” Natalie said.
In the words of Natalie, “The competition this year was tough,” so how does one make sure they are in the best shape possible? In preparation for running, make sure you are eating carbs, getting good rest, and keeping a good mindset is a great way to get ready for the competition ahead.
“I just drink a lot of water and try to trust my training. The night before I’ll eat a bunch of pasta and listen to music for a while before I go to bed,” Addie said.
For Natalie, she needed to take a little extra time to take care of herself, as she was injured, but not unable to race. She had determination, and while she felt she could have done better, she was still proud of herself for racing even with an injury.
“In preparation for the competition, I followed my coach’s training plan and lowered my mileage for the week. I also spent some extra time taking care of my body so I was all ready to go,” she said.
Addie was making a comeback this year, after qualifying for states her freshman year, and ending the season early last year, getting back into running must feel good. She is a second-time state qualifier and should be proud of herself, placing 58th out of 250, with a time of 21:03.
“I qualified for states my freshman year, but last year I was injured most of the season and it ended really early so it felt good to be able to bounce back. It’s a lot different going against different schools and having new teammates, but I enjoyed it,” Addie said.
Everyone who competed shows that if you don’t get it at first, try, try, and try again. Congratulations to Addie, Natalie, Kaiden, and Maverick from the Red Raiders.
