Remaining active is key to Wildcats’ run of success

From left, Meagan Governor, Tamara Kulla, Jami Beed and Amanda Blankenship hope to lead La Center to state title. (STEVEN LANE/The Columbian)

The athletes on the La Center girls cross country team did not grow up dreaming of running for the Wildcats.

“If someone had asked me to run a mile, I would have said, ‘Yeah, right.’ ” junior Tamara Kulla said.

“When I first started, I could barely run a mile without stopping,” added junior Meagan Governor.

“My mom wanted me to do this, and I ended up liking it,” sophomore Amanda Blankenship said.

It doesn’t matter what motivated them to go out for the team. They just know they do not regret the move. How could they? All they seem to do is win.

Every year, the Wildcats keep running. Standouts compete two, three, or four years, graduate, and then a new wave of runners races in to replace them.

La Center girls cross country, in fact, is on — pun intended — quite a run, advancing to the state meet nine of the past 10 seasons. This year, the Class 1A school has 16 girls on the team, more runners than some of the larger schools in Clark County can attract.

Of course, it helps when the principal is also the coach.

“As principal, my main goal is to make sure every kid is involved in an activity,” Dave Holmes said.

So throughout the year, he makes his rounds throughout the school, at lunch time. He does not insist on anybody joining cross country — he just wants all of his students to find a venture to join.

“If you’re not doing anything, I have a sales pitch,” he said with a smile.

Actually, the best “recruiting” tools for finding more runners, he said, are the athletes themselves and their success.

This year’s Wildcats agree.

“Other teams don’t have a chance to get first in state,” senior Jami Beed said. “We have a chance. People want to be on a good team.”

The Wildcats finished second in the Class 1A meet a year ago. With nine of their top 10 runners returning, expectations are high again this fall.

“The goal is to get everybody at state, healthy, and have the best race we can do,” said Governor, who finished 15th at state last year as a sophomore.

State is one of three overnight trips the team takes annually. While training for the sport can be grueling, even painful, being together, having fun, offsets the tough times.

“I think the word around school is cross county is a lot of fun,” Holmes said.

Actually, word is spreading to more than one school. La Center Middle School started a cross country program last year. Governor said it doubled in size this year.

It appears the winning ways of the Wildcats will continue beyond 2008.

Governor has advice to those younger runners.

“Make sure you enjoy it and try your best. You’re going to hurt every day, but don’t give up. You have to get through it,” she said. “If you work hard, it won’t hurt as much.”

Winning also helps the pain go away.