11
Cross country teams sweep Three Rivers League,
look to upend Jesuit in pursuit of championship
u
C hristopher E rsin _________
Staff Reporter
After a long and fatiguing
season, both cross country
teams walked away from
the regular season achieving
their goal: winning the
Three Rivers League District
top ten in the country.
Unlike the competitive
Laker squad, the Lions have
had great depth all season,
which helped bring home
a first place title. Wannarka
was followed closely by
Taylor West, sophomore,
10 finishers at Districts,
setting personal records
in the process. Jefferson
Chandler, sophomore, and
Matthew Crawford, senior,
also helped bring home the
title, finishing in the top 20.
"These guys really work
The boys suffered a
major loss late in the season
as their eighth runner,
Steven Boe, senior, has been
fighting an achilles injury.
Boe was able to compete
at Districts, however, and
crushed the competition in
The Boys’ Cross Country team celebrates winning the Three Rivers League title. Both boys and girls took home first place finishes, and head
into the State Championships ranked second and fifth, respectfully.
Photo by Christopher Erbin
title. On Oct. 21., the boys
toughest competition came
from Lake Oswego. Cullen
Wannarka, sophomore, took
second to the Laker's top
runner who is ranked in the
who claimed fifth. They
were followed by Tim
Donnelly and Zach Boyd-
Helm, sophomores, and
Christopher Daniels, senior.
All three runners were top
hard every day," John
Linman, head coach, said.
"They race with lots of
heart. They race for their
teammates and school. They
are a joy to coach."
winning the Junior Varsity
race. In doing so, Boe is
eligible to compete on the
Varsity team at State, should
his injury fully heal.
"Our team has great
depth all the way through,
and that will make us very
tough to beat," Linman,
said.
The girls had equally
successful results at the
TRL Districts. The girls
were led by Taylor Nowlin,
senior, who finished third.
She continues to improve
after missing last season
with injury. Nowlin was
closely followed by Chelsea
Ollar, sophomore, who set
a personal record with a
fifth place finish at Districts.
Kelsey Guerins, Kathryn
Flyte, juniors, and Erin
Morrow, sophomore, were
the next three runners, all
finishing in the top 10. Ann
Bernert and Kayla Nowlin,
juniors, rounded out the
girls team, finishing in the
top 20.
"Our team has lots
of fun," Taylor Nowlin
said. "We are a family. We
support and care for each
other. We have great team
spirit."
"We try to run free
of worry and negative
thoughts. Racing is just
play. Our relationships
with others are much more
important than the result of
any race," Linman said, "We
are thankful that we can run
fast. We are fortunate to be
blessed with the ability to
run, when for some walking
is not even possible. Our
season has been truly
wonderful."
Debs dance year round in hope of standing atop State podium
m
H annah Z aayer ____________
Staff Reporter
Love and dedication for
the dance team is important
since it is practically a year
round sport with only two
months off a year. Average
practice time is ten hours
a week in the fall and once
the winter season comes,
practices stretch to 13 hours
a week.
"Dance Team is something
I have chosen to dedicate my
high school years to. I love
the girls and coaches and
being a part of the team has
taught me how to put my
whole heart in a team and
my work," Rachel Tennis,
senior captain said.
Summer classes are
required for all dance
team members and nearly
a third participated in
additional camps. "Each
dancer completed 20 and
30 hours of dance classes in
^studio over the summer,
f l r i 13 members attended
Thunderbird Dance Camp
on top of that," Amanda
Wilcox, coach said.
The Debs have been
practicing halftime routines
for the football games and
additional routines for the
upcoming competitions
during the first three weeks
of November.
"We have been working
very hard and by the time
we compete we will be able
to do very well," Rachel
Tennis, senior captain said.
The team has been
working on its modern
routine staged to "Return to
Oz" by Scissor Sisters and the
kick routine choreographed
to the song "In my Arms" by
Kylie Minogue.
The fall competitions start
tomorrow at Gladstone High
School, Nov. 8 at Clackamas
and the last competition
of the fall season is at
David Douglas on Nov. 15.
After the competitions are
completed, a simple grey
floor is rolled out from the
closet and the team starts to
work on its State routine.
"In the fall, the team
competes with two to three
different three minute
routines, and in winter they
compete with a five minute
show using a floor, sets and
props," Wilcox said.
This year the state routine
will be performed to "Alone"
by Celine Dion. The props
are very simple compared to
the Marie Antoinette routine
that was used last year when
the team placed fifth in state
last year.
West Linn Debutantes perform at halftime during the game against Clackamas on Oct. 17. The Debs
finished fifth in State last year, and look to improve this year.
Photo by Michael Zaayer