MEEKER | The Barone Middle School cross country team began its season Aug. 23 at the Grand Junction Central Warrior Invitational, showing promise despite less-than-ideal preparation in the weeks leading up to the race.
“I felt like everyone had a good first race considering practice conditions the first two weeks with the smoke and heat have not been ideal,” head coach Sean Damitz said. “The meet was a good season opener for everyone to get used to competition.”
This year’s roster is small, with just three runners, but the girls have already found ways to push one another and provide encouragement throughout training and competition.
Eighth grader Arionah Gutierrez led the Cowboys, finishing ninth overall with a time of 13 minutes, 12 seconds. She was followed closely by seventh grader Gracelyn Walker, who placed 10th in 13:22. Teammate Jayna Damitz, also a seventh grader, finished 12th overall in 16:01 in what was her first middle school race.
This past weekend, the team traveled to Leadville for its second meet of the season, where the elevation provided a fresh test. Cooler conditions, however, may have been a welcome relief after early-season heat.
“We’ll be working on building our aerobic capacity with some speed intervals this week to prepare,” Damitz said. “The next meet will have more competitors so it will be a good chance for the girls to get more race experience.”
Good luck to the Barone Middle School cross country team as they continue their season — and as always go Cowboys!
By JARED HENDERSON |
