By Tom Rohrer
Long distance running in the Olympia area is not limited to adults and high school athletes.
The running bug is caught by many youngsters, thanks in large part to the Barron Park Striders and its head coach Drew Stevick.
Last December, Barron Park Striders junior runners Sam Randall and Ollie Kramer competed at the USA Track and Field Junior Olympics Cross Country Nationals in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Kramer finished 38th out of 140 runners in the Sub-Bantam division of the 2K race, while Randall took 132nd place.
This year, Kramer again qualified for the national meet and was joined by five other Barron Park Strider teammates. The meet was held on Saturday, December 14 at the National Shooting Complex in San Antonio, TX.
Competing in the 9-10 year old boys division was Kramer, Jaden O’Hara, Cody Klingelhoffer, Danny Brie and Maximus Sing. Joining the younger runners was Ethan Anderson, who competed in the 11-12 division.
Klingelhoffer led the way for the 9-10 boys, finishing the race in 11:41 and earning 58th place in the 329 runner field. Sing finished 105th with a time of 12:11 while Kramer took 113th after posting a time of 12:14. O’Hara finished 218th following a 13:06 posting and Pree finished 231st overall after completing the course in 13:13.
The efforts of the five youngsters earned the team a 14th place finish amongst the 24 competing teams and second overall within the 13 teams from their region. In addition to the strong team finish, the times of Sing, Kramer O’Hara and Pree were all personal records at that distance.
Being able to compete as a team amongst the nation’s best was an enjoyable experience for the young runners.
“Running with your friends is the best part,” said Kramer, now nine years old. “We wanted do well together.”
“It was awesome we did so well,” said O’Hara, a student at Griffin School. “(Running together) made it more fun.”
Competing in such a pressure filled event can be a challenge for an athlete of any age. These young runners were able to handle the pressure in a variety of ways.
“Well, it was fun competing against older people who were (faster),” said O’Hara. ”I like (challenges) so I used that to get ready.”
“I enjoy running so much so I just went out and had fun,” said Kramer. “It’s all about having fun.”
O’Hara, Kramer and Pree, all age nine, competed against a large group of runners a year older than themselves. The USATF puts junior runners in groups for two years, meaning the first year within the division pits the competitors against older competition. Pree turned nine while in Texas at the Junior Olympics, meaning that he, O’Hara and Kramer will have another year to compete at the same age level.
“I’m already looking forward to next year,” said Pree over the phone to ThurstonTalk.com during a break in a running workout. “I want to do better.”
Kramer was able to use his experience from competing last year to his advantage. He also noticed how the energy at the meet pushed his teammates to new heights.
“I felt more comfortable, more prepared,” said Kramer. “There are so many people watching and running. All the racers get a lot of adrenaline. People who finished behind me on my team got personal records by over a minute. Competition pushes us to work harder.”
As the sole representative from the Baron Park Striders in the 11-12 age group, Anderson finished 169th in his first year competing at the national meet with a time of 11:30.02.
A 4.0 student as a seventh grader at Tenino Middle School, Anderson has been competing with the Baron Park Striders for three years. Anderson enjoyed his first national experience and has a better understanding of what it takes to compete at the national level.
“I felt good, had a great time and it was a great experience,” said Anderson, who competes on the knowledge bowl team at TMS. “It was eye opening, and very competitive. The start of the race, I wasn’t on the line. I was behind the line and had to pass more people than normal.”
Anderson, now embarking on a higher intensity training regime with both BPS and the Tenino Middle School and High School cross country coaches, will look to improve his mark a year from now.
“He wants to be an All-American and crack the top 25 in his age group,” said Ryan Anderson, Ethan’s father. “That’s how motivated he is.”
Most if not all of these runners would not be competing in events like the national meet if not for the Barron Park Striders and the efforts of Drew Stevick and the rest of the coaching staff. That dedication and teaching is not lost on the runners and parents alike.
“Barron Park Striders gave me my foundation. I started with them,” said Ethan Anderson. “I liked running, but became more serious when I started school cross country. I am now driven to win. That has a lot to do with what Barron Park Striders taught me.”
“As a parent, Drew and all the other coaches help so many kids who get so much out of this,” said Ollie Kramer’s father, Chad. “Drew loves to see kids get involved who wouldn’t otherwise have a chance to be involved in running. There would no other way to participate in cross country at this level.”
“They’ve helped me with my arms and helped me learn how to stretch,” said Pree about his coaches. “They know a lot about running.”
For the parents who traveled to the event to see their children compete, there was nothing more enjoyable than seeing the smiles on their favorite competitor’s faces.
“He just enjoys running and seeing him enjoy what he loves to do was awesome,” said Pree’s father. “He has an older brother and sister and sometimes they overshadow him at different things. It was great to spend five days just me and him. But seeing him smile and run out there, that was the best part.”
Now a couple weeks past the competition, the trill of the meet still hasn’t worn off for the runners.
“It was awesome just to be in the Junior Olympics and be with my friends,” said O’Hara. “I can’t wait to go back again.”
