Bismarck High School boys and girls cross country has a long history of success.
This past season both teams brought home a state title, along with four WDA recognitions. Seniors Bayla Weigel and Parker Hintz were named WDA senior athletes of the year.
“There’s only one senior athlete a year, so it feels good to follow in the footsteps of those before,” Hintz said. “There’s been a long string of Bismarck High WDA athletes and really great WDA athletes in general. It feels good to be honored with that, and have my hard work mean something.”
The WDA coaches of the year were named to both the BHS cross country girls coach, Janelle Olson, and boys coach, Scott Reichenberger, adding to the list of accomplishments for the Demon runners.
“I feel the recognition of WDA coach of the year encompasses more than just the head coach. I am not doing this alone,” Olson said. “It is a team effort.”
In order to be recognized for outstanding success, BHS cross country prepares for each season while implementing confidence along with work ethic.
“My job is to develop kids as athletes,” Reichenberger said. “Throughout this process, their confidence improves significantly which allows them to accomplish great things.”
Weigel and Hintz both started their cross country careers in 8th grade. By sticking with the competitive sport, the athletes have improved their confidence.
“I just went for it, but I was terrified,” Weigel said. “I just took it one race at a time knowing that if you go to practice every day and work hard, you’re going to get an outcome.”
Like all high school sports, the more an athlete puts into practice, the more they will get from competitions. With individual sports such as cross country, it can be difficult to stay persistent and determined since athletes are constantly competing against their own personal bests.
“It’s a long buildup,” Hintz said. “We started in the middle of June and have been training consistently since then, all with state in mind, so it was really nice to have our work come together.”
The October snow made for a snowy running course at the state meet in Jamestown. Because of the weather, unexpected time and schedule changes were made for the runners.
“We didn’t have concerns about the weather or the time change at the state meet,” Reichenberger said. “The boys and girls teams were ready to run in any kind of conditions.”
“Those hosting the meet in Jamestown worked hard to clear the snow from the course in preparation for the races,” Olson said. “Everyone competing was presented with the same weather conditions. We remind our athletes to learn to adjust and control what is controllable. We can’t do anything to change the weather, but we can adjust to be ready and prepared for the circumstances, both physically and mentally.”
By ‘controlling what can be controlled,’ runners refocus back to their personal and team goals. This view is the key to the success cross country coaches implement on their athletes.
“We strive to instill in the athletes the realization that there is more inside of them,” Olson said. “The reward of hard work, a belief in themselves and teammates, to run for something greater than themselves and to strive for excellence allows for a multitude of life lessons to be learned and experienced.”
Learning life lessons as a young student athlete adds to the feeling of accomplishment. Ending their senior seasons, Weigel and Hintz have found accomplishments within themselves.
“I run just to make myself a better person,” Hintz said. “Doing hard things has always been a part of what my family does. It’s just who I am now – doing hard things to show myself who I am.”
