'13 State Track Feature: New-look 4x4 team headed to state
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
Racing any relay event takes skill, perfect timing, the right group of runners and hard work. All of the above describe the 2013 Hillsboro girls state-qualifying 4x400-meter relay team.
The team of sophomore Allison Goolsby, senior Taylor Stanforth, senior Brittany Ferrell and junior Megan Overberg all have not only achieved the aforementioned criteria of being a successful team, but have exceeded it and then some.
Overberg also qualified for the state 400m dash for the second year in a row, with both events for the HHS ladies taking place this Friday at the 2013 OHSAA State Track & Field Championships in Columbus at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
It is no secret only one school in Highland County has an actual track, and though Hillsboro is currently in the early stages of building a facility, this group of ladies has continued to overcome steep odds, practicing and running on a variety of surfaces to become one of the top 4x400m relay teams in Division II.
"(Not having a track) makes us work harder," Overberg said. "Other schools have great facilities, and everything is right there for them.
"Sometimes we have to work a little bit harder because we don't have everything."[[In-content Ad]]The other team members spoke about the uphill climb it takes to succeed, even though they don't have an actual track.
"It is a challenge because sometimes the track where we practice is flooded or muddy," Ferrell said. "We are running on roads, sidewalks … we don't have lines to practice handoffs for relays, so we are running in the grass."
"I like seeing people's faces when we tell them we don't have a track," Stanforth said. "They are like, 'Are you kidding me?'"
Goolsby even spoke what it is like being a hurdler when there not only isn't a track, but there are not enough hurdles to simulate an actual race.
"It is kind of hard for me as a hurdler, because that's one of my main events," Goolsby said. "Most of my time is spent practicing the hurdles, and we don't even have a track to practice the hurdles.
"We don't even have 10 hurdles, so we'll just jump over two or three on the grass."
Knowing the odds they've faced this season continuing to overcome their surroundings, this group of ladies didn't even race together until the South Central Ohio League Championships on May 16.
In that first race together, this team ran a time of 4:07.27. A few weeks later, the same group of ladies ran a time of 4:03.49 at the Athens regionals.
"We talked about who we wanted to put in that 4x4, and it was difficult," HHS girls track and field head coach Sarah Horsley said. "We talked about these four girls. I thought they should be able to do the job. It was difficult to get all four of those girls together at the same meet and get them all healthy to run together."
Last year, a different group of HHS runners raced their way to the state championships in the same event, where Ferrell and Overberg were a part of the state-qualifying team that finished 14th at 4:11.70.
"The first time all four of us ran together (this season), it felt right," Ferrell said.
"Since the first time we ran together, our times have drastically gone down," Overberg said. "I'm really proud of them (Goolsby and Stanforth) because they stepped up.
"We really needed them, and nothing against anyone, but I'm really proud of those two for working hard and stepping up."
Horsley said she took Ferrell to the state track championships her freshman season, just to see what the experience could be for her.
"One thing I did with Brittany, when she was a freshman, I took her up to watch the state track meet and watch the girls run from some other schools, to kind of instill that idea in her, that this is our goal, this is where we want to be."
Stanforth and Goolsby talked about joining the 4x4 squad.
"Well, I wasn't asked to be a part of the relay team for a while because of mistakes I made my freshman year," Stanforth said. "I was hesitant, but I figured we'd have a pretty good team, so I went ahead and tried."
"I was nervous," Goolsby said. "It was an accident at first to even be on the relay team. Megan was hurt, and Coach sweet-talked me into running it."
Horsley spoke about how she swapped the lineup during the season.
"I kind of played around with taking Alli and Taylor in and out of that 4x4 throughout the season and just trying them out," she said.
"It was actually Brittany and Megan who came to me about midway through the season and said 'you know, we really need to look at this 4x4, and we really need to look at using both Taylor and Alli.'"
This year, the group of runners have more of a goal in mind … they want to not only just race on Friday, but make it to day two of the event and make it to the final eight teams.
"Last year, it was not really something I expected to happen, but this year, I worked really hard to get back," Overberg said. "It is not easy to get to state every year, so I'm just going to try and enjoy it."
"I've been training for this event since the end of track season last year," Ferrell said. "I wanted to go back.
"This year … it is different. We're more focused and want to get to the finals."
The runners also described what the race is like and what goes through their minds before the race.
"I'm the youngest on the team, and starting out the event, it is scary,” Goolsby said. "You just want to start crying, but you have to stay strong at the same time."
"Alli starts the race for us because she has phenomenal blocks," Ferrell said. "Megan and myself read each other really well, especially since we did handoffs last year."
In describing the feeling of qualifying for state, it was easy to understand the excitement the girls described.
"It's the best feeling getting back to state because we're back, but it is the best way to finish my senior year," Ferrell said.
"Happening once is one thing, but happening again … it's crazy," Overberg said. "I've always loved this race because we always seem to become a family."
"It is exciting to make it to state, but it is also nerve-wracking," Stanforth said.
"This is unlike anything else I've ever been a part of," Goolsby said.
Overberg will also race in the 400m dash Friday. At the Athens regionals, she was fourth at 59.07 in the finals and had a 58.99 in the prelims. At state last year, Overberg had a time of 60.54 for 12th place.
"It is exciting to make it on my own, too, because I've worked really hard to make it in an individual event," Overberg said. "I get more nervous for the individual event because it is all on me and how I perform.”
Horsley said with Overberg, the work she's put in has shown on the track this season.
"Megan did more work in the offseason this time," Horsley said. "She started the season this year right where she left off at the end of last year. She's been plagued with some injuries over the last couple years, and we've kind of learned how to work with that.
Horsley told a story about Stanforth from her freshman year.
"Taylor is kind of emotional, but she's a great athlete," she said. "We had a talk her freshman year about how she performed at districts, and I was frustrated with her. She said, 'I'm waiting till my senior year to go to state.' So here we are, it's her senior year, and she fulfilled that promise."
The team of sophomore Allison Goolsby, senior Taylor Stanforth, senior Brittany Ferrell and junior Megan Overberg all have not only achieved the aforementioned criteria of being a successful team, but have exceeded it and then some.
Overberg also qualified for the state 400m dash for the second year in a row, with both events for the HHS ladies taking place this Friday at the 2013 OHSAA State Track & Field Championships in Columbus at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
It is no secret only one school in Highland County has an actual track, and though Hillsboro is currently in the early stages of building a facility, this group of ladies has continued to overcome steep odds, practicing and running on a variety of surfaces to become one of the top 4x400m relay teams in Division II.
"(Not having a track) makes us work harder," Overberg said. "Other schools have great facilities, and everything is right there for them.
"Sometimes we have to work a little bit harder because we don't have everything."[[In-content Ad]]The other team members spoke about the uphill climb it takes to succeed, even though they don't have an actual track.
"It is a challenge because sometimes the track where we practice is flooded or muddy," Ferrell said. "We are running on roads, sidewalks … we don't have lines to practice handoffs for relays, so we are running in the grass."
"I like seeing people's faces when we tell them we don't have a track," Stanforth said. "They are like, 'Are you kidding me?'"
Goolsby even spoke what it is like being a hurdler when there not only isn't a track, but there are not enough hurdles to simulate an actual race.
"It is kind of hard for me as a hurdler, because that's one of my main events," Goolsby said. "Most of my time is spent practicing the hurdles, and we don't even have a track to practice the hurdles.
"We don't even have 10 hurdles, so we'll just jump over two or three on the grass."
Knowing the odds they've faced this season continuing to overcome their surroundings, this group of ladies didn't even race together until the South Central Ohio League Championships on May 16.
In that first race together, this team ran a time of 4:07.27. A few weeks later, the same group of ladies ran a time of 4:03.49 at the Athens regionals.
"We talked about who we wanted to put in that 4x4, and it was difficult," HHS girls track and field head coach Sarah Horsley said. "We talked about these four girls. I thought they should be able to do the job. It was difficult to get all four of those girls together at the same meet and get them all healthy to run together."
Last year, a different group of HHS runners raced their way to the state championships in the same event, where Ferrell and Overberg were a part of the state-qualifying team that finished 14th at 4:11.70.
"The first time all four of us ran together (this season), it felt right," Ferrell said.
"Since the first time we ran together, our times have drastically gone down," Overberg said. "I'm really proud of them (Goolsby and Stanforth) because they stepped up.
"We really needed them, and nothing against anyone, but I'm really proud of those two for working hard and stepping up."
Horsley said she took Ferrell to the state track championships her freshman season, just to see what the experience could be for her.
"One thing I did with Brittany, when she was a freshman, I took her up to watch the state track meet and watch the girls run from some other schools, to kind of instill that idea in her, that this is our goal, this is where we want to be."
Stanforth and Goolsby talked about joining the 4x4 squad.
"Well, I wasn't asked to be a part of the relay team for a while because of mistakes I made my freshman year," Stanforth said. "I was hesitant, but I figured we'd have a pretty good team, so I went ahead and tried."
"I was nervous," Goolsby said. "It was an accident at first to even be on the relay team. Megan was hurt, and Coach sweet-talked me into running it."
Horsley spoke about how she swapped the lineup during the season.
"I kind of played around with taking Alli and Taylor in and out of that 4x4 throughout the season and just trying them out," she said.
"It was actually Brittany and Megan who came to me about midway through the season and said 'you know, we really need to look at this 4x4, and we really need to look at using both Taylor and Alli.'"
This year, the group of runners have more of a goal in mind … they want to not only just race on Friday, but make it to day two of the event and make it to the final eight teams.
"Last year, it was not really something I expected to happen, but this year, I worked really hard to get back," Overberg said. "It is not easy to get to state every year, so I'm just going to try and enjoy it."
"I've been training for this event since the end of track season last year," Ferrell said. "I wanted to go back.
"This year … it is different. We're more focused and want to get to the finals."
The runners also described what the race is like and what goes through their minds before the race.
"I'm the youngest on the team, and starting out the event, it is scary,” Goolsby said. "You just want to start crying, but you have to stay strong at the same time."
"Alli starts the race for us because she has phenomenal blocks," Ferrell said. "Megan and myself read each other really well, especially since we did handoffs last year."
In describing the feeling of qualifying for state, it was easy to understand the excitement the girls described.
"It's the best feeling getting back to state because we're back, but it is the best way to finish my senior year," Ferrell said.
"Happening once is one thing, but happening again … it's crazy," Overberg said. "I've always loved this race because we always seem to become a family."
"It is exciting to make it to state, but it is also nerve-wracking," Stanforth said.
"This is unlike anything else I've ever been a part of," Goolsby said.
Overberg will also race in the 400m dash Friday. At the Athens regionals, she was fourth at 59.07 in the finals and had a 58.99 in the prelims. At state last year, Overberg had a time of 60.54 for 12th place.
"It is exciting to make it on my own, too, because I've worked really hard to make it in an individual event," Overberg said. "I get more nervous for the individual event because it is all on me and how I perform.”
Horsley said with Overberg, the work she's put in has shown on the track this season.
"Megan did more work in the offseason this time," Horsley said. "She started the season this year right where she left off at the end of last year. She's been plagued with some injuries over the last couple years, and we've kind of learned how to work with that.
Horsley told a story about Stanforth from her freshman year.
"Taylor is kind of emotional, but she's a great athlete," she said. "We had a talk her freshman year about how she performed at districts, and I was frustrated with her. She said, 'I'm waiting till my senior year to go to state.' So here we are, it's her senior year, and she fulfilled that promise."