Openshaw Sisters Draw Strength From Each Other


(Freshman Tara and her sister senior Colleen Openshaw have become a key part in Creekside's success.)

Last May at the 3A State Track and Field Finals, the girls 3200m run saw a familiar pack battling up front. Emily Edwards, Karen Xiang, Emma Rudman. However there was one more girl battling it out with the big names; Colleen Openshaw. Virtually unknown, the Creekside junior duked it out with some of the State’s best distance runners, to take home 4th place at the State Finals. Now a senior, nothing has changed much for Colleen, except the addition of a new training partner; her sister Tara. 
 
“I first joined the middle school cross country team in seventh grade. I had no idea that I would stick with it throughout all of high school!”
 
These are the words of Colleen Openshaw, Creekside’s number one runner. She started out running in middle school and never thought she would stick with it. It’s a good thing she did though, as she is quickly becoming the best distance runner Creekside High School has ever seen. Colleen had a breakout year last year and is now a force to be reckoned with in 3A. What really took her to the next level was a renewed belief in herself. Her favorite quote is “We are what we believe we are.” by C.S Lewis. She says “I’ve learned that my goals aren’t possible without having true faith in myself."
 
This summer was no different than any other summer for Colleen. Getting in hundreds of miles, just trying to build a base for cross country season, but this year she has an extra special teammate right beside her at all times, her sister Tara. Tara also began running in middle school, however had a different passion leading into high school. “I had been playing soccer since I was five but I stopped this year to run.” Tara is taking after her older sister, who has inspired her to be better since day one. Running with her sister is an incredible feeling for Tara. “To be able to share this passion with Colleen is an unexplainable feeling. She is just a great person to be around so you can’t help but smile when you’re with her. I have watched her suffer through injuries, and bad races, and she never takes that grin off her face.” Both girls love the opportunity to run together, and this positivity is contagious for the rest of the team. 
 
Creekside’s team seems to come together around the Openshaw sisters. Creekside girls coach Kelly Gooding describes them as a “coaches dream” when it comes to work ethic, and this is something other girls on the team can agree with. “They both push me to be better. During workouts they’re both always positive which helps me and everyone else” said teammate and sub 19 5k runner, Jessica Taylor. The ultimate goal of the team is to have every girl improve and get better, and the Openshaw’s help make that goal a reality day in and day out.  Love and passion fuel this team, and the bond between two of the top runners on the team.
 
Colleen and Tara have been close long before they were teammates, but it is obvious that running has done nothing but strengthen that bond. There is one moment this season that Tara remembers better than any. At the UF Mountain Dew Invitational the pair were running alongside each other going up a tough hill, when they all of the sudden both sisters glance at each other. Tara remembers them both having the same thought, and immediately passing a small pack of girls together. Tara said, “I thought to myself, I do not want to do anything else but this. Colleen and I will always share this inseparable bond that cross country has formed between us. I love her to death and am so happy that I get to run next to “The Colleen Openshaw” for her senior year!” 
 
From the outside looking in you wouldn’t think there was anything more than hard work driving the top ranked girls in 3A. Perhaps it’s the coaching. Or maybe it’s the talent. But if you look deep enough, you would have no doubt that it’s the love for each other that is driving The Openshaw sisters, and the Creekside girls to a place they’ve never been before. 

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