Wisconsin Rapids (OnFocus) – Wisconsin Rapids Assumption is headed back to state, and for Head Coach Jim Dolan and the Royals, this meet is right in their back yard.
We caught up with Dolan to get some thoughts on this year’s team and return to state:
1. What have been the keys for your team’s successful journey to state?
Probably the most important factor was that we returned six of our seven starter from the team that went to state last year. So this team knows what it takes to get to state. The addition of two freshman has also proven to be very important. There are always things out of your control during a season. One of our varsity runners was injured early in the season and never able to get back to form. Then midway through the season another runner had to have a minor surgery, but it caused her to miss some critical training to time. The two freshman stepped up to provide the necessary depth and one of them was our fifth scoring runners at the sectional meet.
2. How are you approaching practice this week as you prepare for the state meet?
For last years state meet the team was really wipeout due to the demanding schedule of meets leading up to state. This really impacted their performance. This year I’ve been trying to taper our practices much more over the last two weeks so that everyone has fresh leg and can hopefully perform their best at state.
3. How has fan support been important for your team’s runners this year?
Fans support is always important. The team raced great for our home meet earlier in the year and we are really excited that the state meet is back at The Ridges. We are hoping many fans will turn out to cheer them on.
4. What do you see as the keys to be successful at The Ridges on Saturday?
There are three thing I hope we can accomplish at the state meet this yesterday. First, we want to have a better showing than we had last year where we finished 9th as a team. To accomplish this the team just can’t get overwhelmed by the moment or the size of the meet. Everyone needs to focus on passing as many people as they can during the second half of the race. Second, I think its really important for the team to experience running the Ridges course. We will have another great team next year and the experience this year should position the team to do well at next year’s state meet. Finally, I would love to see our #1 runner Ainara Sainz de Rozas finish in the top 10. She has been one of the great role models for that team, and has work extremely hard during the season and in the off season to get to where she is. This years D3 state field has a lot of great runners, so she’ll need to get out with the lead group and stay connect with them so she can have a great finish in her last meet with us.
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Author: David Keech
David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected]
