They haven't yet invented the time machine, unfortunately. So just about the closest you can get to seeing into the future is attending a middle school cross country meet. And let me tell you, the future of high school cross country in Okaloosa County is so bright you need shades!
The Okaloosa County Middle School Championship was an excellent sneak peek into some awesome talent coming in the next few years. And despite the intense competition, most of the kids seemed to take it all in stride. Their calm and collected demeanors downplayed the intense competitiveness that ensued after the gun sounded.
In fact, the coaches appeared to be more anxious than the runners did at the start of the race!
A generous number of spectators lined the two mile course. There was no pushing and shoving; although it did seem as if the chute got progressively smaller as parents inched forward in attempt to get the first glance of runners sporting their team colors coming in!
And this supportive crowd of parents, grandparents, and siblings certainly made their presence known with an abundance of yelling and cheering. Runners were even cheering on members of other teams.
"I don't care," commented a Liza Jackson runner after a teammate questioned why she was cheering for another team. "It's good sportsmanship to cheer for everyone."
The course seemed perfectly laid out for this kind of supportive atmosphere, giving spectators plenty of opportunities to encourage the aspiring young runners. Runners completed three laps of about 1000 meters each, giving fans the opportunity to see almost the entire race.
It was great to see members of Fort Walton Beach and Choctaw High School teams and their coaches there to support and encourage the middle school runners as well. Middle school sports often do not get their fair share of coverage,
so it's wonderful when they can see that they are important to the running community at large.
Emma Rudman definitely had her game face on for the girls race. The Liza Jackson ace completed a perfect regular season, placing first in every meet she competed in. This was no different. Redman led the entire race with a host of runners from Ruckel it tow.
"I'm tired, but very excited," she commented after the race. "I had said last year I wanted to win county, and (last year) I just missed it."
The seventh grader committed to push herself harder this year to reach her goal winning the country championship. She did so with a time of 13:00, 22 seconds ahead of the next competitor. Her leadership helped Liza Jackson take home the team trophy. The team placed four of their runners in the top ten.
"They are a great bunch of kids," Coach Mike Ammons said, "(and) when you have a bunch of kids like that, they can make a coach look like a genius. They are still a young team and we are looking forward to having them back next year."
The boys race had an exciting race for first place. Runners from Bruner and Destin fought it out hard. Just when it looked like Bruner was going to take it, the Destin runner gave one last push and passed him taking a 3 second lead in the last 200 meters. Boys county championship time was 11:54, with second place coming in at 11:57. Ruckel Middle School, who had four runners in the top ten, took home the first place team trophy.
The fun and laid back meet concluded with runners dancing to the YMCA and the Macarena. Perfect!
Over 1000 Photos by Rese Ammons
Sorry, No Meet Results Received Yet
