Defending Group AA state cross country champion and 2011 Nike Cross Nationals individual qualifier Carolyn Bethel of Hidden Valley High School recalls her very first high school cross country race:
"My very first high school race was at Clash with the Titans 2009. I was very scared when I stepped onto the line. I had never run our course all the way through and had barely even finished a run without walking, so I was nervous. Luckily I had Mary Catherine Sowder and Lindsay Skolrood by my side making jokes the entire time which lightened the mood, but not by much. The race is pretty much a blur, as are most races that I have run, but I do remember seeing Lindsay's jersey as I came around one of the final turns of the course and she was right infront of me.
It was at that point that I first felt like I was apart of a team and I saw the effects of running with a team. Having Lindsay there showed me that she was going through the same pain that I was, she had run the same ...
