The Lady Cats take a wild ride to state

Special from Kathy Overton, Assistant Coach for the Jasper Cross Country Team

Giggles, cheers, and an occasional belted out song verse fill the bus as Coach Kevin Schipp steered his team toward Terre Haute for the IHSAA Cross Country State Finals Friday November 1.

It had been seven years since Schipp had made the trip with a full team, but as the girls like to say, he has whipped them into “Schipp shape” to take on the top teams in the state.

The road to state was anything but easy as the team fought all season long to prove what they could do. From shin splints to ankle, foot, and hip injuries, the girls toughed it out right to the end, sprinting through the regular season with multiple team victories and setting personal records.

At sectional, the girls ran away with the title on their home course. Sophomore Hannah Welsh blistered the difficult course in a time of 20:38, followed closely by freshman Tara Cassidy in 20:53. The team scored an impressive 22 points followed by the other Dubois County schools, Northeast Dubois, Forest Park, and Southridge placing 2-4, respectively.

Next, the team traveled to Crawford County where they took a second place finish to a tough Floyd Central team. The cold, rain, and mud didn’t seem to bother these girls as they combined for a team score of 51 points.

The following weekend the girls loaded up for a trip to the rolling hills of Brown County where, ironically, they would run one of the flattest courses of the season.

This was as far as the team made it the previous year, with only Hannah Welsh advancing to the State Finals. This year, the girls had other plans. The team got an extra boost from Cassidy who finished just seconds and three places ahead of Welsh, who had been nursing a foot injury for several races but still managed to run another strong race for the Cats.

First year runner and sophomore Rachael Welsh had a breakout performance coming in third for the team, 60th overall, followed closely by freshman Noelle Weyer and Berger.

Assistant coach Kathy Overton said after the race, “We may have had one or two girls who maybe didn’t have their best race ever, whether because of injury or illness, but we had a couple girls who were able to pick up a few places. And that’s what team is all about.”

After the race, the team huddled in front of the stage to hear the results. Knowing that only the top six teams would advance, the girls waited apprehensively as the results were announced.

“In 8th place, Terre Haute South. In 7th place… Evansville Memorial.”

A wave of emotion spread over the faces of the Jasper runners as 6th place was announced. “Would the following teams come to the stage for ribbons and State Finals informational packets. In 6th place, Jasper.”

Their pounding hearts erupted into cheers, hugs, and even some tears as the girls celebrated their placement; a mere four points ahead of seventh place. They were so busy celebrating and congratulating each other that they almost forgot to take the stage.

Then on Friday, November 1, the top 12 runners and their coaches, spurred on by the cheers of the Jasper High School student body, began their trek north to their final race of the season.

Upon arrival at the course, the eager runners headed out onto the course with their coaches huffing and puffing to keep up with their enthusiasm. After a quick practice, the team headed to the Indiana Track and Field and Cross Country Hall of Fame to meet and hear stories from some of Indiana’s running and jumping legends.

This eye opening and educational experience fueled the runners’ hunger to accomplish their goals both in running and in life.

The girls spent the remainder of the evening with a dinner at Olive Garden and socialization with runners from the other teams allowing them to catch up with old acquaintances from across the state.

Senior Sydney Berger ordered lights out around 10 p.m.

Finally, the day they had been training for since the first day of conditioning in June was upon them. After a filling breakfast at the hotel, Coach Schipp took the team for a drive-thru tour of his alma mater, Indiana State University. Next, the team stopped at a park for a short jog to shake their legs out and take in the beauty of the season. Although they had every right to be stressed and anxious, the girls remained light-hearted and optimistic, joking with each other, snapping pictures, and daring sophomore Luci Hulsman to jump into the pond.

The team arrived at the course with plenty of time to spare, which for Hulsman meant time to zip herself into a leopard costume complete with a tutu. If there was an award for most team spirit, it would be a close contest between Hulsman; freshman Sydney Traylor, who ran around in her dad’s retro Jasper jersey in the chilly weather; and senior Emily Uebelhor, who donned the Wildcat costume at Semi State.

Junior Mary Lechner and Sophomore Lauren Rennie also contributed to the cheers and laughter as well as pushing the top seven runners during practice. The “8 through 12’s” as they like to call themselves, must be ready at any moment to jump into a race if any of the top seven are unable to run. However, possibly one of their greatest strengths is keeping spirits high and cheering on their teammates.

As the field of 208 runners line up for their final race of the season, the Jasper girls take their place in lane 43. They wish luck to the teams closest to them and focus their eyes on the official who stands, arm raised, 100 yards from the line. Quiet, solemn, focused, eyes intent on the prize, the seven runners crouch, toes on the line, as the noise of the crowd fades away. Seconds feel like hours as muscles tense for the sound of the gun. “Bang!” The once green field becomes a blaze of color as teams from all over the state swarm the long straight away.

As the girls fought through a maze of runners, each held her own fighting through injuries and a constant stream of opponents born on by the realization they had made it. They were running in the state finals.

No matter what the placing – how many runners are in front or behind – the truth is that there is no last place at this meet. When Jasper was announced as the 24th place team, the coaches reminded the girls that this meant they are the 24th place team out of over 350 teams in the entire state of Indiana.

They ran their guts out through injury, illness, and inclement weather for five straight months. Despite their various differences and personalities, they became a team, not only that, but as each one will tell you, a family.

The two hour bus ride home gave the girls time to reflect on their accomplishments throughout the year and how much they had bonded as a team.

Upon arrival in Jasper, they were greeted with a hero’s welcome complete with sirens and a ride atop a fire engine.

Horns blaring, sirens wailing, the team made their way through town with a parade of proud parents following behind. Fans popped their heads out of their vehicles or stood on front porches to wave as the girls screamed and waved enthusiastically despite their chattering teeth on the chilly ride through town.

There are moments from this season that each runner will cherish and remember for a lifetime. Before parting ways, the girls gathered to hug the seniors and wish them the best. For those who remain for next year’s season, it seems that a fire has been lit that will continue to burn strongly.

While the Welsh’s look forward to some recovery time and the beginning of swimming season to stay in shape, the others have started talking about getting together for running and weightlifting.

These athletes will not be satisfied with anything less than their best. They have set their goals high and are looking forward to another wild ride.