Salute To Seniors: Bryce Vokus - Sarasota Riverview High School

What was your most memorable race/moment?

 

My most memorable race was Pre-States this past cross country season. Our team was in the elite race and at the beginning of the season I set a goal for myself of breaking 16 minutes for the 5k. This was the race where I accomplished that goal, a goal that I wasn’t sure was even obtainable. Putting in the hard work over the summer really came though and showed at this race.

 

Who would you consider your biggest competition over your four years?

 

My biggest competition has been my teammates Warran Grajalez and Blake Riley. They really aren’t competition as much as two guys that push me to my limits. I have these two guys to thank for much of my success. We constantly pushed each other at practice and if one of us wasn’t having a good day we would make sure we do our best to lift them up. They are two great teammates that became even greater friends to me as the season progressed. I am definitely looking forward to what these two have in store for next season.

 

What was your greatest accomplishment?
 

My greatest accomplishment was being captain of the team that won cross country regionals for the first time in school history. For me, this moment proved that cross country really is a team sport and that it takes a total team effort to win. Throughout the entire season we always had Blake, Warran, and I towards the front of the race, but we knew for regionals it was going to take more than a strong three to win. Two seniors, R.J Natherson and Tyler Riley really stepped it up that race. They both ran amazing races and if it wasn’t for those two guys we wouldn’t have won. 

 

If you could do it all over again what would you change about your running career in high school?

 

I would have started training a lot sooner. I came into high school knowing nothing about cross country or track. I wish I had some prior knowledge. If I knew it would be this much fun I would have joined my middle school track team and began my training in middle school.

 

What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?

 

The most difficult obstacles I faced were my own mental battles. I started running cross country half way through my freshman year. At that time I knew one person on the team and didn’t even know what the term PR meant. I wasn’t able to finish most of the workouts and I even found myself walking in some of the races. It wasn’t until track season that year that I really started to gain some confidence that this is something I was actually good at. It took the guidance of some of the seniors on the team to really show me the way. Teaching me that running is almost more mental than physical. This feeling continued to grow into my sophomore year cross country season where I made it onto varsity for the first time. Accomplishing the goal of varsity so early in my career was a huge boost for my confidence. From that moment on I never doubted myself again.

 

What will you miss the most?

 

I will miss my team. Over the years they have become my second family. My life in high school revolved around doing things with the team. All of my best friends ran even my future college roommate is on the team. I owe almost all my success to them. Without their cheering and support I never would have stuck with running the way I did.

 

What advice would you give to younger athletes?

 

The best advice I can give is to always set goals and strive to do whatever you can to reach those goals. Personally, I really didn’t start seeing progress in my running until I set goals for myself. One thing to remember about setting goals is always make them obtainable. The feeling of accomplishing the goals you set for yourself will push you to do even greater things.

 

What influence has your coach had with respect to your performance and overall life goals?

 

Both Coach Means and Coach Opitz have had a profound effect on both my running and life over the past four years. Through their coaching I was able to drop over ten minutes on my first 5k time ever. These are two guys that I don’t just look at as coaches, but mentors who were always there for me and would help me with anything I need.

 

What are your college plans?

 

I am headed to Florida State University and plan to continue running. I know that right now my times are not fast enough to make the college team, but I’ve set a personal goal of being able to walk onto the team once I have reached that level.

 

Who would you like to say thank you to?

 

First, I want to thank my mom and dad for always having my back every step of the way. They always supported me know matter what. If I was the last to cross the line in a JV race, or the first in a varsity. It didn’t matter to them they loved me no matter what. I also want to thank all of the runners on competing teams that I met and enjoyed spending time with. They helped to make the high school running experience a blast. I would like to thank Todd Grasley for allowing me to share my story. Lastly, I would like to thank Amber Kerry, Tyler Riley, and Kyle Gilles for their unbelievable support throughout the years.

 

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

 

I would just like to say that without running, I’m not sure I would be in the situation I am right now. Running taught me perseverance and the notion that not everything is going to come easy to you. Nothing you do in life is going to be easy, but if you try your best and put in the right amount of effort, good things will come.