by By Rich Winters
I was chatting with Todd County cross country coach Tonya Whirlwind Soldier this morning and she said she was pouting.
“What ya pouting for, pout sack,” I asked her.
The cross-country meet got cancelled.
I thought about it for a few minutes and then I realized that it was the Todd County cross country meet that was cancelled.
Dang, I’d be pouting also. Shoot…darn it.
I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t miss seeing the Todd County and St. Francis Indian School kids going nuts on the cross country course this fall. I love how hard those kids work and how much effort they put into their craft.
Both schools are doing a great job and I’m very eager for the big meets that are coming up.
While I usually like to highlight team efforts, I have to recognize two outstanding young ladies on the Rosebud Reservation that are just embarking on their high school athletic careers.
In the next six years, the Todd County trophy case in going to see some serious additions with Caelyn Valandra and Kelsie Herman coming through the pipeline.
That TCHS girls track and field record list is going to look really different come 2020.
Caelyn Valandra – So a little bird flew from Rapid City to tell me the story of this young lady and her performance in the Meet of Champions Junior High Division last week.
So it seems Miss Valandra, a 6th grader at TCMS, competing in the junior high division got tripped at the starting line of a very crowded field. Now, imagine yourself in a field of 203 runners and falling in the first few steps of the race?
While the first instinct is to not get yourself killed, the next is to jump up and go like mad to get back up to the front. I’ve seen experienced runners at the international level, fall, and overreact in their attempt to get back up to the front.
The little bird tells me that Valandra who was in last place after the fall, worked her way up slowly through the pack (I bet that felt good passing all those people, I wouldn’t know). So Caelyn came around the loop in like 25th place and continued to work her way up through the field and managed to get all the way up to 6th place.
That story may be slightly off, the little-bird was pooped when it got here, but you get the picture.
I know a few 6th grade girls that would have stopped if they tripped at the starting line, but not this little warrior. Now imagine that Caelyn is a 6th grader and she’s competing against accomplished 7th and 8th grader runners.
I like her chances of being right there for the win against 203 runners from five states is she doesn’t get tripped up early in the race.
Now, I’ve gotten to know Caelyn just a little through some of her sporting activities.
She really popped onto my radar when the 5th grade track team came up to the middle school and she lined up for an impromptu with our middle-school boys. Our best 8th grade boy had to hold on for dear life.
Whew!
Now I look at this young lady and she is built for speed. Not content to dominate the 100 and 200 meter events at the junior high meets like most prodigy’s do, she stepped out of her comfort zone and ran the 400 and 800.
I like it!
Kodi Abbott holds both of those records for the 400 and 800 at the high school and if Caelyn stays healthy, she’s going to be going after those records in a few short years.
Best part about her is she’s really nice and has an inviting smile and an engaging personality. Makes a 47-year old guy feel alright when an up and coming stud-ette smiles and says hello.
Kelsie Herman:
I’ve been doing some writing for the Todd County Tribune and every week I see what Kelsie is doing and it’s hard not to highlight her performance.
Let’s put this into perspective just how good this young lady is.
At the meet of Champions last week in Rapid City, young Kelsie finished 5th.
The girls that finished right in front of her were both from Rapid City Stevens.
Emily Person who finished 3rd in Rapid City was 4th in the AA state meet a year ago (Keslie was 11 seconds behind her)
Jamie Schweiss who finished 4th in Rapid City was 9th in the AA state meet a year ago (Kelsie was six seconds behind her)
Now, I’m not jumping the gun here because the Class A field is loaded with some of the top runners from the state meet a year ago. Maddie Lavin of Vermillion and the girls from Madison are going to be a handful.
Had the opportunity to watch Kelsie and coach a little during last year’s middle-school track season.
As a 6th grader at a AA meet in Pierre, Kelsie got run down from behind in the mile by a girl form Aberdeen Central.
When they tangled two hours later in the 800 meters, Kelsie wasn’t having it and put the screws to that little girl.
She’s feisty…I like that.
I’m excited to see where this cross country season ends up for the Todd County girls. The Prue girls are running well and Oskate Win One Star is solid and I can’t wait to see how Haylee Quick Bear rounds into shape after missing her off-season training regimen.
They’re gonna be solid!
There are a whole bunch of young ladies over at the middle school right now that are really good at track. Can’t remember all of their names so I wont’ say any but these girls can run and they’re coachable.
In about two years none of those girls records at Todd County will be safe.
So, keep posting, keep sharing your little cross country notes. Tell the little bird I said hello and you young ladies, keep on making us proud, ya hear.
