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| Colorado state championships. Two first place finishes at the NXN Southwest Regional. Successive seventh place showings at NXN Finals. Division I recruits. For the past two years, the "Lambkins" of Fort Collins High School CO have embodied success at the highest level. Over the next nine weeks, assistant coach Phil Latter will be tracking the ups and downs, triumphs and challenges of the Fort Collins girls’ cross country team.
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the lambkin way | part 6
11.10.09
by Phil Latter, Special to DyeStat
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In the Heat of the Moment
Saturday, November 7th – 11:42 A.M.
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| The pre-race huddle at the 2009 CHSAA Colorado State Meet
Photo submitted by Phil Latter
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Scary. There is no word in the English language more fit to express the frightening sensation running through Coach Chris Suppes’s blood right now. After all, how do you chastise your runners when they appear to be throttling their motors to the absolute red line yet are not quite where they need to be? How do you offer encouragement and strength and love and support and all the other necessities needed to survive in a hostile racing environment when you are but one man running around crazily with a thousand other spectators? Sure there are tens and tens of other Lambkins out there, cheering on their daughters and teammates and friends. But none of them have the power of your word, your inescapable ability to drive them on just a little further. You are needed more than ever, but never before have you been less able to give.
The two-mile marker is in sight and the Lambkins are running their hearts out. But it may not be enough. Highlands Ranch and Boulder High School have offered up formidable competitors, ones whose talent and courage cannot be underscored. Highlands Ranch has four girls in the top 15 coming through this checkpoint; Boulder is beating Fort Collins. While Rachel has broken away from the chase pack and appears to be destined for a top 5 finish, Kirsten has faded back to 17th and Erin is all alone in the main chase pack. Denise and Marci look good, but they’re even further back than Kirsten and time is quickly running out. Maddie Staab took the risk of a lifetime in going out just behind Rachel; Taleah has run beyond her present abilities time and time again. As valuable as they’ve been all year, neither one will be able to swoop up and save the Lambkins if anyone out there falters.
Boulder winning is no shock. After all, Suppes has warned his team about Boulder since May, when Kelsey Lakowske took over the 3200m event at the outdoor track State Meet with her freshman teammate Sam Lewis not too far behind her. A year stronger and wiser, they appear more dominant than ever before. Same, too, for Highlands Ranch. Eleanor Fulton raised her national profile when she finished 3rd at the Nike Team Nationals meet last December, and her teammates have only continued to step up. Their distinct all blue uniforms make them easy to spot. There are far too many in the lead pack to ignore.
The Lambkins will need something special to occur in the last mile for the dream of back-to-back titles to become reality. Coming over the lone large hill on the course, it’s hard not to think back six days when the Lady Lambkins challenged a hill that was just as daunting.
State Meet Week Redux
Monday, November 2nd – 3:45 P.M.
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| Denise, Maddie, Taleah, and Marci work together during the final Lappers workout
Photo submitted by Phil Latter
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Thawing is a way of life in Colorado. Two days ago the State Meet was postponed due to nearly two feet of snow being dumped along Colorado’s Front Range. Fort Collins High School was fortunate in that they didn’t need to rebook their hotel rooms (the school is less than 3 miles away from the State course) and that there was no drastic peaking for State. After all, with the Southwest Regional qualifying meet less than three weeks away, running their best in November has always been a priority. Today, with only patchy white piles of snow remaining, the team is back at Edora Park for their fourth go around at Lappers.
If the State Meet jolting from one weekend to the next has had any effect on the girls it isn’t showing. Rachel runs with the boys on this workout, tucking in behind their number six runner on the fast hills and then making up most of the ground on the recovery. Last year congested lungs turned the State Meet into a living nightmare for Rachel, but so far her attitude toward this weekend’s challenge has been every bit as positive as the rest of the girls’. Watching her stride up the hill at full pace, it’s hard to imagine her feeling intimidated by more than a handful of runners in the state.
The rest of the girls run in their usual symbiotic packs. Erin and Kirsten have perfected their own art of running together, pulling, encouraging, and challenging the other one with every uphill stride. They are a study in contrasts in both build and style, yet theirs has been an amazingly effective partnership. Marci and Denise run the same way, pulling Maddie and Taleah with them on every step. Goofy and gregarious as they are off the field, their aura of invincibility has been built step by aching step on grassy fields such as these.
Coach Suppes is ecstatic after the workout, telling them that these four loops on the course are exactly what they needed to keep the system fresh. On the drive back to campus we marvel at how much the girls have improved in relation to the workout. I comment that when I coached college runners I used to put in a ton of variety. In retrospect, I wondered if I hadn’t short-changed them some by not allowing them to set benchmarks and improve upon them in repeated workouts.
“[Former Fort Collins coach] John Martin always used to say that you don’t know how good a workout is until they run it three or four times,” Suppes says in reply, the din of sports talk radio muffled in the background. “I think that’s true. The first day they ran Lappers we had about half the team drop out and complain about little aches and pains. Now look at them. They know just how to attack it and get the most out of it.”
We are one hard day away from the State Meet.
One Last Go Around
Wednesday, November 4th – 3:15 P.M.
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| Erin Hooker and Rachel Viger running 1200s on the track
Photo submitted by Phil Latter
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This is it. The last hard workout of the week. From here on out, recovery takes absolute precedence. Twenty inches of snow have come and gone in five days and the grass and dirt are as dry as they ever are along the arid Front Range. Terrain is of no importance today, however, as the team will be running their gentle 1200 meter repeats on the spongy red track at Fort Collins High School.
Only three intervals will be run today, as the State Meet is now only seventy hours away and “sharpening” is of the utmost importance. Using the 100 meter starting line to better simulate the start of a cross country race, the girls take off en masse down the home straight. Their workout will be done all alone today as they were delayed by thirty minutes so that the Fort Collins Coloradoan newspaper could do a write-up and photo session with the team. While usually such a distraction would test the patience of the entire coaching staff, today it allows Suppes and the rest of the coaches to devote full attention to each team.
Running long intervals on a fast surface for the first time, the girls find it hard initially to run the prescribed slower paces. Rachel runs consistently out front, while Denise looks tremendous today hanging on to the back of Kirsten’s pack. Marci, Maddie, and Taleah absolutely roll on their first interval as well, having clearly taken Suppes’s decree to get out hard to the highest level possible.
On the third interval Erin decides to do something she’s never done before – run side-by-side with Rachel. While Kirsten runs her own pace behind them, Erin tucks in on Rachel’s right shoulder and gets pulled around the track at a pace she’s never tackled before in a workout. Running 5:35 mile pace lap after lap, one can see just how good the senior Rachel is and how much potential the freshman Erin has.
Every drop of those skills and talents will be needed in three day’s time.
Wicked
Thursday, November 5th – 3:10 P.M.
Back to PE-1, home of meetings. Ever the tactician, Suppes has mapped out what it will take in his estimation to achieve the goals his athletes have set out. He has indicated checkpoints in the race to assess position, made mention of how to work together as both individuals and teammates, and indicated the best way to get out and hold position.
The team has remained loose throughout the week, so loose in fact that Coach Craig Luckasen worries they might believe they already have the race won, repeating the fate of a previous team that came in too cocky. Today’s meeting sheds little light on where the girls are mentally. While they appear to take in most of what Suppes says, their restlessness in the quickly darkening meeting room is conspicuous.
The greatest bit of humor comes for the team when at the end of the speech Suppes asks what time it is. He told the team he would only be able to stay 10 to 15 minutes because of tickets his family has to see the musical Wicked down in Denver, but when he looks at the analog clock he sees it’s already 3:55. His family, some twenty minutes away, had planned on leaving by 4:00. Caught somewhere in between laughter and panic, Suppes answers any of their final questions and then bolts for the door. A ten minute meeting had just turned into a 45 minute discourse.
Such are the tensions of State Week.
The 2009 Colorado 5A State Championship
Saturday, November 7th – 11:26 A.M.
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| | Pre-race group acceleration led by Rachel Viger - Photo submitted by Phil Latter |
Suppes stands in the middle of the starting area as the girls finish their final accelerations and huddle together. Each young lady has double- and triple-checked her hair, ears, wrists, and ankles to ensure no jewelry besides a watch is present on. Now it is time for a bit of silence and togetherness before the inevitable chaos begins.
Three seniors dot the huddle, their divergent stories interwoven in the fabric of the Lambkin’s season. Rachel Viger has led the team each time she’s stepped on the field. The flu killed much of the early portion of her season, but she has bounced back and raced well every time it has been asked of her. She brings a PR of 18:10 into this race, set just two weeks prior on a day where she absolutely ran away from the competition at the Northern Regional meet. Today will offer the stiffest competition she has faced all season.
Kirsten Follett has had the most consistent season of her life, running 18:15 for 5K (at altitude, like every race this season) on the blistering fast Liberty Bell course. While Rachel is the face of the franchise, Kirsten has been the steadying influence all year who vocally leads the team. Though she suffered a late season lull at Conference, she has looked better in recent weeks and is excited about going out hard and mixing it up with the chase pack.
Denise Chilson, the third senior on the varsity squad, has had a season of memorable ups and downs. Despite a poor race at Conference and a mediocre one at Regionals, Denise has one thing going for her – she has stepped up big the two times its been asked of her. She ran 19:08 at Liberty Bell, reestablishing herself as a legitimately good runner in the process. Two weeks later she nearly led Fort Collins to the upset of the year, helping them finish within one point of The Classical Academy. She knows as well as anyone else that today is another time she’s being asked to lay it all on the line.
The four underclassmen in the huddle have faced no fewer challenges than their senior leaders. Marci Witczak, the lone junior on the varsity team, has battled a recurring IT band issue for months, righting the ship only since October began. Despite doing a great deal of her volume on the bike and elliptical machine, she has run 19:03 this season and fortified the depth of the team while trying to work her way back into full racing shape.
Erin Hooker, the first of three freshmen on the team, has had a storybook season. Making the leap from junior high to high school, Erin has not missed a beat and has become one of the state’s top 9th graders. Running 18:21 at Liberty Bell made her a star, and she has finished no lower than 3rd on the team in any race this season. Her consistency is something that is being counted on today.
Maddie Staab has battled her own nagging injuries, but has not let them affect her training time. Running under 19:30 at Liberty Bell and Regionals was a huge motivator, as was finishing in the team score (top 5) at the past two meets. Maddie has excelled best when following Marci and working off her.
Taleah McClintock, the final varsity freshman, has had no less of a storybook season. A good but not great middle school runner, Taleah has blossomed this year into a potential long-term contributor for the team, breaking 20:00 twice and using her infectious humor to keep the team loose at critical moments. Two months ago she had to run her heart out to just qualify to run on the varsity team. Now she’s being asked to pick off as many people as possible to help Fort Collins win consecutive State Titles.
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| Rachel (far right) leads the chase pack near mile 1, with Erin (2nd from left) in tow.
Photo submitted by Phil Latter
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From the gun it is clear that the girls intend to get out hard. The course narrows abruptly after 200 meters, so getting good position is vital. Maddie and Marci go out exceptionally hard, trailing off the chase pack Rachel is soon to inhabit. Erin, too, has made sure to get in the appropriate pack as early as possible, and she rolls along with them at a good clip, tucking alongside Kirsten.
By the time the mile is reached it’s clear that the individual title is not even up for grabs. Boulder’s Kelsey Lakowske has been dominant all year and today will not buck that trend. She is running away from the field en route to a 50 second victory (17:28), one that will only boost her dreams of making the finals at one of the post-season national meets. Highlands Ranch and Boulder both have two runners in front of Fort Collins’s number one, though Rachel has moved up well and now runs side-by-side with Boulder’s Sam Lewis. Erin is right behind her in the pack, with Kirsten a few more steps behind; the pack an enormous moving blob that makes it hard to distinguish individuals. Still, the purple of Boulder and the blue of Highlands Ranch are more plentiful than the Lambkins’ own purple and gold combination, and the gap back to a charging Denise and Marci is all the more concerning.
While the ditches and narrowness of Fossil Ridge High School’s course can make for some rough patches on the runners, the spectators are afforded numerous chances to see the action taking place. Just beyond the mile Boulder’s Sam Lewis breaks from the chase pack, taking Rachel with her. Erin has tucked in behind Highlands Ranch’s numbers three and four, and is continuing to try and challenge them. Kirsten’s fade has begun and now much of the team’s hopes rely on Denise and Marci sweeping up from behind.
At the two mile mark a few things are clear: most of the girls have reached the red line of intensity, and the title won’t come their way without a little bit of help or some backfiring tactics from other teams. Erin’s mind is failing her – the repetitiveness of the course, the heat, and the pain have all conspired to making quitting sound delightful. Rachel is running well, but can her past season’s demons be held at bay for the entire 5K distance? Kirsten has a kick, but will her backward slide continue too long for it to matter? Denise is charging as hard as ever, running a repeat race to The Classical Academy showdown from over a month ago, but is it enough? Can Marci stay with her? Is Boulder going to crush it over the last mile?
And where is Highlands Ranch’s number five?
The cruelest part of the Fossil Ridge course, including even the ditches and narrowness, is its repetitiveness. After two miles of endless zigging and zagging, the course asks for one final enormous back loop to be run. This is the quietest part of the race, as most of the spectators have had to sprint to the packed finish area to cheer on the runners. This tunnel of humanity will stretch over 200 meters, with every inch of caution tape occupied by someone’s boyfriend, sister, mother, friend, or coach. There will be screams and cajoling, chants and pleas when the runners make it there, knowing they have less a minute of pain before it all washes away.
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| Marci and Denise work together midway through the race
Photo submitted by Phil Latter
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But first there is the back loop. And it is on this back loop that all the previously unanswered questions will be resolved. Boulder’s aggressive early pace will start to take its toll, a few of their runners fading back to the 20s and one to the 50s. Highlands Ranch will continue to dominate up front, putting four runners in the top 15. But their depth is only four, one short of a scoring five. They, too, will slowly fade out of the team title picture on a day where four individuals have absolutely amazing races.
That means only one thing – the Lambkins control their own destiny. Battling the negative thoughts, Erin has hung on as never before, fighting the urge to fade with visions of hoisting a team trophy. Kirsten, meanwhile, has summoned every ounce of senior pride her body holds, somehow fighting inertia to move up six places over the last mile. Rachel has faded a little, but a top ten finish is still all but guaranteed. The race then comes down to the strength of Fort Collins all season long – its depth.
Denise has not stopped charging hard the entire race. Last year, when Rachel struggled, Denise took it upon herself to challenge the entire field and ensure Fort Collins would not lose. She passed 25 people in the back fields. Although quite a few runners came back on her in the end, her gutty effort has been immortalized in Fort Collins lore. This year her race is equally important and she is living up to her big race reputation. She is in twentieth place approaching the final straight. Marci, pushing through the months of injuries and cross training, refuses to fade. She enters the final stretch only ten places behind Denise.
Rachel fights the demons, fights the past, fights her fatigue and ultimately is rewarded with an All-State performance. A year after placing 78th, Rachel moves up 70 spots to finish eighth (18:48). Kirsten sprints in three places behind her, finishing 11th (19:05). Erin has not relented on her dream of hoisting the team trophy and crosses the line one place behind Kirsten (19:07). Their partnership has led to second team All-State honors. Denise kicks all the way through the human chute, running some 44 seconds faster than her previous year’s heroic race. She places 21st (19:24), 36 places better than the previous year. Marci comes in 20 seconds behind her, placing 29th (19:44) and rounding out the team score.
After cheering on Taleah and Maddie (98th and 105th places, respectively), I run down to where Coach Luckasen is trying to score the meet on the fly. While we are impressed with how well the girls did, particularly Denise, nothing is certain yet. I watched Boulder’s 5th runner come in well beyond Marci, and felt almost sure I had only seen four runners from Highlands Ranch, but nothing is positive. Luckasen agrees that unless we’ve made a mistake, we probably won the title. But right now the waiting game continues.
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| The girls learning they've just won the 5A State title
Photo submitted by Phil Latter
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Just beyond the finishing chute, the girls are surrounded by a mass of people snapping photos and talking loudly about whether they won it. I tell the girls that we think they have the title, but no guarantees can be made. High fives and congratulations continue, but an ounce of trepidation remains. What if we missed someone?
And then, just like that, Suppes runs over. He has spoken to a reporter who had the official results. Although Highlands Ranch beat us in spots 1 to 4 by a score of 32 to 53, and although Boulder was leading us at the two-mile mark, in the end the Lambkins have won by a score of 81 to 104 over Boulder High School. Highlands Ranch placed 4th with 173, while Pine Creek slipped in to third with a score of 159.
Cheers break out amongst the parents and athletes at this news. A moment after it has died down, Rachel’s mother walks up to me and asks what she’s missed. I tell her the score is official. She shakes my arm excitedly and has her own personal celebration on the spot.
The boys are keen to repeat what the girls have tried, but their effort at shocking the world comes up short. They place 13th. Nonetheless, the overall mood of the team is a positive one as they head to the awards ceremony. There the Lambkins are crowned State Champions in 5A, joining their rival school, The Classical Academy (3A), in that category. Both teams relish their separate titles, knowing their impending head-to-head competition in Tempe, AZ, two weeks from today could determine who travels to Nike Cross Nationals and who heads back up the I-25 corridor empty handed.
As the girls pose for their official State Title photograph, the state champion boys’ team from Regis Jesuit yells out, “We love following you all on DyeStat!” In this moment all the fears Suppes had about the publicity getting to the girls can be erased. They stand tall on the dais, brimming with pride at their shared accomplishment, having done it all under a limelight few cross country teams ever encounter.
It is once again a good day to be a Lambkin.
State Championship photograph, courtesy Kevin Follett
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