And That's a Wrap

 Austin successfully completed his Sophomore year in cross country with an official 2-minute PR over the entire season. The team is officially the 4th fastest in Salem history! Last Saturday at States was an incredible experience! Sam and Owen came along for moral support, which was so nice since Jason was in TX. and Erik was at his final soccer game (they finally scored a goal!) Kade made the hour drive out to cheer Austin on, but couldn't commit to the full time of Austin arriving early and then the cool-down process at the end. 

Owen and Austin have been friends since birth, but we started having play dates with him when they were 3. Owen's dad is our Bishop. Sam and Austin have been friends since 3rd grade. We really got to know Sam when I coached STRIDE at Miller Elementary. Sam has always been a fast runner. It's always been his thing. Owen has an older brother who got him really involved in xc and has always been fast as well. The two of them have been such great friends and examples to Austin. They were a big part of the reason Austin chose to do xc rather than marching band or swim. They're very fortunate to be at the same high school as well. Since the high schools are selected via lottery, not everyone gets assigned the same school as their best friends.

At Michigan International Speedway, where States is held every year, there were tons of spectators and schools from all over Michigan. We met Coach Goodrich on the way over and Austin rode in with him, so I was so glad to have Sam, who knows the stadium from having been there to watch the race cars, and Owen who just knows where he's going. We met up with Austin amonst all the tents so Owen and Sam could warm up with him. Then they mapped out the best places for us to go to see him run. I met Kade when he arrived and we followed Owen and Sam during the race to try to catch Austin as much as possible. It was pretty hard to do with the pressing crowds. The race started in the stadium, and then the runners ran out, so all the spectators had to squeeze through the very small openings to get out and watch, which is no easy feat when everyone is rushing to see their runner! They finished in the stadium as well. That's when it was the hardest to see. Kade and I decided to stick with Sam and Owen to see Austin the second time outside the stadium, which meant a quick sprint back to the finish line. With everyone pressing through the opening in the gate, we were stuck in a crowd before we could get out and sprint again. Which, Kade and I are definitely not as fast as Owen or Sam!! They were sweet to try and slow down for us, but they had to leave us to make it to see Austin cross the line, which was another difficult feat with all the people there. I did get to see him about 100 m before the finish line, but I was far back and there were so many people in front of me. 

Starting line: he's in the white amongst the Canton runners in the black and red.

The group running out of the stadium. 

This is coming up to the finish. He just barely passed someone!

He's in the white, so far away!

Austin finished 127th out of 252 with a 16:30 time. The top 30 finished 15:48 and down, so that tells you how many came in during that 42 seconds of time! He looked and felt good, for which we're so happy about! Coach was so proud of his efforts! Owen and Sam cooled down with him, definitely determined to make it to States as a team next year! We went to Panera Bread on the way home to enjoy Austin's favorite restaurant. 

His name is under Divison 1, at the top.

The xc banquet was on Friday and Austin was awarded to Coach's Award. Some other teammates got well deserved awards as well. The next day, Saturday, was the final meet, though not necessarily part of the season. It's called the Meet of Champions and anyone can run in it, but not sponsored by your school, though times count toward the season. Austin hadn't been feeling well the 2 days leading up to it, but still ran a 16:30. Jack came back with a vengeance, as I thought, and ran a 16:10 and Isaac got his senior PR of 16:18, so we were happy about that. 

The whole Salem Team.

The sophomores. They're such a great group of kids.

Austin's special award and his blue teeth from his cake.

I didn't get to the meet yesterday because it was 2 hours away and I was going to the DSO (Detroit Symphony Orchestra) with Kade and the school orchestra. That was a beautiful night of music. They played Gustav Holst's The Planets. We got back very late to Jason and Erik watching the BYU game. Needless to say, we're all extremely tired today!