After a two-year break, Valley View's Aubrey Minton stepped on the line at the Paragould Ram Invitational. Winner of the 2024 5A Cross Country Championships, Minton needed to allow some healing to take place, but then entered her first 5k with a fantastic start… and... well, finish.
A few minutes of heavy rains pre-meet lowered the temperatures for the junior races, but the lightening decided to return near the end of the girls' 1.55 mile. Coaches were instructed to move their athletes to the buses to wait for further instructions while the trainers kept a watchful eye on the weather. After the all-clear was given, race director and Paragould coach Monca Edwards combined the senior boys and girls races, trying to fit the final race into the gap of the weather and the incoming darkness. "Boys on the right and girls on the left" Edwards instructed. Before the race, Edwards further pressed that in this sport, "we respect the race as well as the competition."
Mile Mark at Paragould Ram's Invitational
Female Champion Aubrey Minton (senior) from Valley View, who finished in 20:03.05, said that this combined race meant that she didn't have a chance to warm-up, since she was originally scheduled to run post-senior boys. Minton said that she ran from the bus to the starting line. As the ladies approached the line, one of the male runners only half-jokingly said, "who's ready to get stomped by these girls?" The combined race made for a bit of hard start for Minton, because she said she was boxed in by the first turn and the boys kept looking back to see if she was still there.
It turns out that yes, she was.
At the 400m mark, Minton found her stride and came through with the top fifteen percent of the runners. Minton commented that a combined race doesn't seem to effect the male runners as much, but can be really overwhelming for their female companions. She explained that she could not just simply pass boys, for they would sprint when she neared them. She also said that when racing boys, a girl has to race with a plan, or she simply wears herself out. Though Minton had the lead in her division since the quarter mile, she finally felt a bit of security once she passed the two-mile mark on the back course.
Head Coach Hannah Shelby-Roach of Valley View speaks with pride about Minton and the team as a whole. "We are just trying to do our best for our first 5k. [Aubrey] has had… treatments for a while and we wanted to come out and run well. I am really pleased with this first race." Shelby-Roach says that the heat this fall has caused her team's training to be inconsistent, but she is thankful for the foundational summer training the team was able to do. Coach wrapped up her thoughts with: "I am really proud of Aubrey… I am really proud of the whole team."
After a two-year break, Valley View's Aubrey Minton stepped on the line at the Paragould Ram Invitational. Winner of the 2024 5A Cross Country Championships, Minton needed to allow some healing to take place, but then entered her first 5k with a fantastic start… and... well, finish.
A few minutes of heavy rains pre-meet lowered the temperatures for the junior races, but the lightening decided to return near the end of the girls' 1.55 mile. Coaches were instructed to move their athletes to the buses to wait for further instructions while the trainers kept a watchful eye on the weather. After the all-clear was given, race director and Paragould coach Monca Edwards combined the senior boys and girls races, trying to fit the final race into the gap of the weather and the incoming darkness. "Boys on the right and girls on the left" Edwards instructed. Before the race, Edwards further pressed that in this sport, "we respect the race as well as the competition."