By Genesis Romo
Margaret Scholle, Div. 776, placed second in the three mile Varsity City Championships race for Cross Country on Oct.19. She received a time of 18:30:70, and came in second behind Joanna Podosek, Div. 452, a senior and city champion for two years in a row.
Scholle competed in the Junior Olympics for Cross Country and raced in New Mexico for nationals before she came to Lane. Her father coached her school’s Cross Country team and she has been running since fifth grade. Scholle says she plans to run all four years of high school, doing not only Cross Country but track as well. After Podosek graduates there will be a new city champion next year and Scholle wants that title.
Before Scholle started running she played volleyball in elementary. She said she was trying to find a sport that she would like.
“I started running pretty much just because I was really bad at every single other sport I tried, Scholle said, “I still have three volleyballs left because I quit, I was so bad.”
Scholle recalled her performance in volleyball, and said that there were special drills made just for her called Maggie Drills.
“I wasn’t required to get [the ball] over the net and if I did I didn’t really have to aim it anywhere,” Scholle said, “If I did get it over the net I only had [to get] it within like a foot of the net over; it was like significantly less than the other girls.”
Before Scholle joined Cross Country she started running with in program called Girls on the Run. Scholle said it was not stressful and she found running to be exhilarating.
At the beginning of this school year, Scholle nearly had a stress fracture due to running.
“I wasn’t really use to running all that hard in practice because elementary schools [were not] really like that but I mean I ran my best at practice but we didn’t do like intervals or long runs,” Scholle said.
Seven weeks later, after aqua-jogging -with adult sized floaties- and biking, she recovered and began running. Scholle won two open races and received 12th running a tenth of a marathon called the 2013 Northside/Southside challenge on Oct.13.
“Its kinda scary…how good she could have been if we were able to have her run in August [instead of] the first half of September,”Mr. Roof said, head coach of the Cross Country team.
According to Miriam Hyman, Div. 764, Varsity Cross Country runner, Scholle is passionate about running which makes her unique.
“Maggie…definitely [has] the genetics mixed with the ability and dedication,”Hyman said, “We actually call her our secret weapon.”
According to Mr.Roof, Scholle is a runner that has mental toughness and endurance that comes easily to her.
Hyman said that Scholle and other freshman could qualify for state in the coming years as they grow stronger and continue to train. Mr. Roof said that the girls’ team has not qualified for state; on the other hand there was an individual girl that qualified named Stephanie Hughes.
“I think the team will [qualify next year]… we are arguably the toughest sectional,” Mr. Roof said, “I think with this good group of freshman and returning upper classmen that will be a good mix.”
During races Scholle would wear her lucky leprechaun socks because she said that leprechauns are universally lucky. Even though Scholle lost her lucky socks she still ran a race and said it all went well. The thought of getting new leprechaun socks had Scholle talking with excitement.
At the start of a race, runners line up across a field of grass. Each school is assigned a certain slot where runners will be placed. The slots would be sprayed by spray paint. When the officials alert the runners before a race, they let the runners they have five minutes to line up.Then, for one minute, both the crowd and the runners wait till the officials shoot the gun into the air to begin the race. During that one minute Scholle said it is nerve wracking.
After the gun is shot and the runners begin their race, Scholle would only think of finishing the race. As she runs, her mind would zone out, she feels as if she was dreaming.
Scholle is determined to progress in running throughout her high school experience. Freshman year according to Podosek is easy, because that is when runners can make their mark and make their name known. Podosek believes that Scholle can qualify for state. Her advice to Scholle would be to never lose her love for running and to keep that fire.
“[Scholle] has done everything she could…she reached her full potential [for this year’s season]”, Podosek said, “the cup was full, the cup over poured.”
