Spartans bring home zone banner

Justin Seward
Times Reporter

 

The Strathmore High School Spartans showcased great athleticism and runners beating their personal best to win the zone banner by mere two points on Oct. 6 in Sundre for the second time in three years.
Out of the 42 runners participating, the junior girls and intermediate boys showed tremendous strides.
As a result, six runners total from those categories will be going to provincials.
“Snake Hill was a difficult hill and technical at times,” said coach Paul Sonsteby. “Our junior girls and intermediate boys categories were dominated again. Our junior boys were the ones we had some issues with, just inexperience mostly, all of them improved their times. I think we cracked the Top 30, which for the intermediate boys team that is still learning … not bad in a race of about 70.”
The Spartans saw more success stories throughout the day as senior girls Maria Fanning, Ann Smeyers, Kate Schramm and Cassie Regier carried the team with the right mindset to conquering the hilly course.
“We won the category because of the placement of all of our runners,” said Sonsteby.
“For example, Kate Schramm, one of our Grade 12 runners, she was at the point where she was able to put up for us and helped us win this banner. She shaved six minutes off her time in a race … aiming for a 23-24 minute run at four kilometres and from our Foothills meet she dropped six minutes. That’s incredible. We only won the banner by two points. Every runner with better times count.”
Sonsteby added that seeing Fanning, who is a multi-sport athlete at the school, conquer Scar Hill at the end of the race and use her hill-running ability to her advantage was a pleasant surprise.
“You don’t advise kids to go up hills aggressively,” said Sonsteby. “You advise them to get up them and make up times on the flats and downs, that’s just a normal strategy for flatlanders like us. This was her hill, it ended with a very technical hill called Scar Hill and coming into that, you’re yelling at Maria. This is where she charges out and gobbles up some time and positions.”
Smeyers was another one that was able to go in extremely confident and knowing she could get up the hills strongly and was also able to take advantage of the flats and downs by blitzing her way through them.
Sonsteby added that he wants the 11 runners going to provincials to enjoy the experience and run the best they can – if someone makes the Top 30, it’s a bonus.
The provincials will take place in Grande Prairie on Oct. 17.
Meanwhile, Kevin Mertz’s junior high team took 48 runners to the zone meet and placed second.