Clover Hill\'s Badura flying in debut Fred Jeter Oct 19, 2007

\"\"It's typical for jittery ninth-graders to be overwhelmed by those intimidating first days of high school.

But while others were fumbling over their locker combinations and getting lost en route to lunch, Abby Badura (pictured left by John Herzog) was revving up her engine.

Her second day at Clover Hill, she established herself as the new kid on the block in area cross country.

"I could tell people were looking at me and asking themselves, 'Who are you?'" she said.

If the newcomer's knees were wobbly, it didn't show.

Athlete Spotlight: Rachel Butler Fred Jeter Feb 24, 2006

Asking Rachel Butler to pick just one track and field event would be akin to asking The Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe to pick just one child. Impossible. The multi-tasking, 17-year-old Lee-Davis High junior loves them all, and she doesn

Athlete Spotlight: Erin Stehle Fred Jeter Feb 03, 2006

Erin Stehle doesn\'t have time to worry about any parties or dances she may be missing on weekends. She\'s content kicking up her heels on the running circuit. In interviewing the 15-year-old Midlothian High sophomore about her racing spirit, one word keeps popping up - \"passion.\" \"Yes, it is a big commitment . . . you do give up a lot . . . but that\'s not hard for me because of my passion for the sport,\" she said. \"I\'m a running nerd. My favorite Web site is MileStat.com.\"

Athlete Spotlight: Chris Barnes Fred Jeter Jan 27, 2006

The jury still may be out regarding Chris Barnes\' footwork on the dance floor. On the track, however, his feet are an open-and-shut case. The St. Christopher\'s School senior, the lone male in a \"modern dance\" elective at sister school St. Catherine\'s, ranks with Virginia\'s swiftest anywhere from 55 to 400 meters.

Athlete Spotlight: Kyle Jones Fred Jeter Jan 20, 2006

Jones specializes in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. On your mark, get set, go! Kyle Jones might have been slow taking his mark and getting set for track, but he was plenty fast once the starter\'s pistol was fired. The James River High sprinter dragged his feet until the spring of his junior year before making his sprinting debut.In his first season in spikes, he was named the Dominion District runner of the year.

Athlete Spotlight: Cameron Sovick Fred Jeter Jan 13, 2006

In the art of pole vaulting, it\'s Atlee High vs. the Capital District . . . perhaps even the whole Central Region. Raiders don\'t have to join the Air Force to be a force in the air. At least on the boys side, Atlee goes three or four deep in an event where many schools struggle to enlist even one capable vaulter. Junior Cameron Sovick, who has sailed as high as 13-6, ranks third in an Atlee pecking order that features seniors Justin Varner and Jordan Cole.

Athlete Spotlight: Anthony Chesson Fred Jeter Jan 06, 2006

If you could set up a booth and sell sprinters\' speed, junior Anthony Chesson would be the richest kid at Manchester High School. Since that\'s impossible, he\'ll settle for being the fastest. Gene Bowen has witnessed a lot of fleet feet come and go in his 20 years of coaching Lancers track, so when he says, \"Anthony\'s the fastest kid we\'ve ever had,\" you take notice. Chesson snapped Manchester\'s 100-meter record with a 10.94 as a freshman. With speed to burn, it\'s no wonder his nickname is \"Smoke.\"

Athlete Spotlight: M.C. Miller Fred Jeter Nov 04, 2005

They popped out of the woods, like some blue-and-gold swarm, and on this day, M.C. Miller was the queen bee of Midlothian High cross country. While injuries have wreaked havoc with the Trojans, the pig-tailed Miller had a full bill of health and a full head of steam at the Dominion District championships at Pocahontas State Park.

Athlete Spotlight: John Vial Fred Jeter Sep 23, 2005

Iron is the key for John Vial. . . . No, not pumpin\' iron, but swallowing it. No runner has cut more time than the Hermitage High junior. His quality of life, on and off the running trails, turned around when it was discovered that Vial had a serious iron deficiency. \"I was tired all the time,\" he said. \"All I wanted to do was sleep.\" Once the iron supplement was prescribed for severe anemia, Vial transformed from a runner who practically needed goggles to keep others\' dust and mud out of his eyes, to who bolted near the front of the pack.

D\'Amato has sole to run Fred Jeter Mar 20, 2002

Shoe salesman Anthony D'Amato is willing and able to demonstrate his own rubber-soled merchandise.D'Amato has peddled sneakers at Runner Bill's Sports for four years. During that same time, the Midlothian High senior has developed into one of the area's

Air Tiller Fred Jeter Feb 20, 2002

He hasn't made his mark with high-flying dunks, but L.C. Bird senior Jim Tiller has sent many a shot put and discus into orbit. Just call him "Air Tiller"