Saturday, Nov. 2, marked Issaquah High School’s Girls Cross Country meet in the Kingco Championship Meet at Lake Sammamish State Park (post season). There were many outstanding runners present, but Issaquah athletes felt energized and prepared before heading into their races. Prior to the races, freshman Julia Ryan said, “I’m so ready! I’m not really nervous. In fact, I am very excited because we can finally show everyone all of our work and time that we put in for this event.” The Girls Cross Country members put in tremendous effort to get to the position of being confident of themselves and their teammates. Freshman Anna Jensen said, “We have practiced for six days a week since summer, but we are always training to be better in upcoming events. Overall, if you are really into cross country, it is an all-year process yet very enjoyable.”

Coach Ryker’s thoughts regarding the meet reflected the strong team spirit and determination present. She said, “We are hopeful for seasonal or personal bests on the course…. We are excited to see their progress pay off and proud of all athletes. We are all looking forward to the upcoming state meet this weekend!” Issaquah set its best foot forward at this event, going in with a team with a goal of winning. Coach Ryker described this year’s participants as “enthusiastic, hardworking, and inclusive.” She added that, “There was a lot of improvement over the course of the season and we are very optimistic for next year.” In addition, Jensen mentioned, “I extremely enjoy cross country because of the friends and relationships that you build here which last for a while. They are very important to me.” Spending ample amounts of time practicing and training with one another, the Issaquah High School Girls Cross Country team seems to get along quite well with one another and have built a trustworthy bond as a team.

With hard work, training, dedication, and reliability on others Issaquah is spreading its wings. To sum up the event in the words of a participant, Ryan said, “We did good!” implying satisfaction and acknowledgement of each person’s achievements and takeaways.