Shocking. That’s the word best describing coming back to reality by the Valhalla runners returning from College Station, Texas, after competing in the 2022 USATF Junior Olympic Cross Country National Championships this past weekend. Most shocking was the drop in temperature and frozen precipitation that happened to the Northeast in the four days the harriers from New Hampshire spent in the Lone Star State.
“When we left on Thursday, the temperature was in the 40s, and in Texas it was in the 80s with humidity,” remarked Mike Smith, the club’s director. “When we returned it was in the 20s and snowing!”
Valhalla Running Club’s youth Junior Olympic program took 14 athletes from the local area and across New Hampshire to College Station to compete against some of the best teams and athletes across the country. Having been around since 2017, the group has taken a number of athletes to Nationals before, but this year’s 14 athletes is the most by far.
First up was JRMS’s Olivia Richard racing in the girls’ 11-12 age group, where she finished 74th out of 350 racers.
Valhalla also had a lone runner in the girls’ 13-14 age group, with Newfound’s Addie Alpers finishing 184th out of 333 racers.
Valhalla had four athletes in the girls’ 15-18 age group, one short of registering as a team. They were led by Mascenic’s Emma Schaumloffel in 66th. Teammates Amelia Smith and Brielle Shippee followed in 89th and 90th place. Florrie Schaumloffel rounded out the crew at 120th out of 122 runners.
In the boys’ 15-18 age group, Valhalla had a complete squad, with eight athletes competing, coming in 13th of 21 scoring teams. Leading the boys was Monadnock’s Peyton Joslyn, finishing in 82nd, followed by Mascenic’s Drew Traffie in 93rd. Newfound alums Connor and Ryder Downes finished in 112th and 122nd. Jace Joslyn, brother of Peyton, was the final scorer for Valhalla, finishing in 134th. Ben Laplume of Newfound, and Dylan Callahan and Dylan Buttrick of Mascenic finished in 191st, 194th and 198th to complete the team finishes, out of 224 runners.
“The course was phenomenal and possibly a little long, but the heat and humidity were a bit much to overcome,” Smith said. “The kids were looking to run a little faster but if you calculate how much the weather likely cost them, the race times are really not too bad.”
Now the athletes from various schools and programs switch to winter mode, which means swimming, indoor track, skiing (both Nordic and downhill), or some much deserved down time. After dedicating the last four-and-a-half months to the sport of cross-country, the change will be good.
Looking ahead, next year’s championships will be in Kentucky again and Smith is looking ahead to 2023. “We should have a full and competitive girls’ 15-18 squad next year, as all our high school girls will age up, so that will be fun,” stated Smith, “and we plan to be there.”