The Winder-Barrow High School girls cross country team has reached No. 4 in the state.
The Lady Bulldoggs, coached by Amanda Partee-Manders, have continued to turn in impressive times at each meet this season and seem to have a great deal of potential as preparations begin for the region and state meets.
Has the success been a major surprise this fall?
“I know we had several key returning team members,” said Partee-Manders. “I am so pleased with our progress thus far. We still have a bit of work to do to prepare for the region meet. Now we have to keep the runners healthy and injury free while we train for faster times.”
The Lady Bulldoggs have been successful in recent seasons, earning multiple region titles.
“The success of the program is due to many reasons,” said Partee-Manders. “The dedication of the athletes plays a huge role, of course. The parents also play a major role in ensuring that the runners are at practices day in and day out, beginning in May and through the summer and that they are at 5 a.m. workouts. The teachers who work with our student-athletes to make sure their grades remain strong are also key. The team, as a whole, and the individuals who make up each team, continue to push one another to be better and faster and stronger.”
Goal-wise this fall, the WBHS coach said it is important for the runners to improve individually, therefore gaining improvement as a team as well.
“There is always room for improvement. The areas a runner needs to improve upon is largely based on the individual, but the goal is faster times and smart racing for all. It is true that the individual is important, but each individual is just a piece of the puzzle.
“The individual placement and times are what make up the team score. If the person in front of a runner speeds up, then the runner behind them will speed up and so on. They push one another to be faster and to compete for their placement on the team. We try to be positive and encourage them, therefore the runners will be positive and encourage one another. If you have a bad race, you learn from it rather than beating yourself up. It’s important that each run is a learning experience and to reflect on what we can all do to be stronger.”
WBHS has benefited from strong outings from several runners including Caitlin Connell, Whitley Kennedy, Anna Dean and Kiana Perez. Most Lady Bulldogg runners have established personal bests, often breaking their own record with each meet. The sky continues to be the limit for the team. The runners are working toward region with an eye on perhaps even bigger things.
Chris Bridges is sports editor of the Barrow Journal. You can reach him at cbridges@barrowjournal.com
