The golden afternoon sunlight lengthens across the field as the wind breathes the rope on the flagpole to lifem– a gentle ringing which punctuates the movements of the Neah-Kah-Nie Pirate Cross Country team as they toe the line.
“Transitions, transitions!” They yell playfully, echoing their charge to minimize time between activities in order to maximize effort, keep their heart rate up, and, they hope, get out of practice sooner.
A team of eleven boys and four girls, consisting of no seniors and ten underclassmen, have turned out for the 2023 Pirate Cross Country season. Coach Shawn Lehr hopes to see more when the school year begins. “We have some kids who work, and we have some kids who are on vacations with their family. It will be tough for them to jump into training three weeks behind the others, but they will have a lot of support from their coaches and their teammates.”
Tough indeed — some of the student-athletes have not stopped training since track season ended, even against the urging of their coaches. “I always tell the kids to take a few weeks off to let their minds and bodies recover, but this year some of them almost took that message personally,” Coach James Billstine reflected. “It has been a while since I have had an athlete I have had to hold back to keep from overtraining and getting injured, but we have quite a few this year.”
Those same athletes attended a free five-day altitude training camp at Diamond and Crater Lake this summer, where they learned about nutrition, training, goal-setting, and leadership, as well as enjoyed time swimming, running, and hiking. “The Mudd-Nick Foundation and Grocery Outlet in Tillamook were exceptionally generous in making the camp happen,” Coach Billstine relayed, “We hope to build on that summer experience and take more kids next year, but it will only happen with the continuing generosity of the community.”
Today the running portion of the workout concludes with some easy 200s to practice their 5K race pace, “38, 39, 40… 42, 43, 44… 55, 56…60…” Coach Billstine yells as athletes cross the line. “Slow down and get it right!” He reiterates, encouraging them to run the realistic pace times he has set for them, and on their last rep, they do.
“This is possibly the nicest group I have ever coached, almost painfully nice. They are all exceptionally bright and so teachable, and so helpful. I turn around to pick up some equipment and they have already put it away with smiles on their faces… I’m truly blessed!”
The first Pirate race is on Thursday, August 31st, at Valley Catholic in Beaverton. The Pirate Boys compete in 3A special district 1, and the Girls in 3A-2A-1A special district 1. For anyone interested in joining the team, please call Neah-Kah-Nie High School at 503-355-2272.