They’re fast. They’re very fast. And now it’s time to put those cleats on the turf and prove it. “We’re ready to show them how we do things here in Ohio.” Bold words from Fairbanks head coach Mike Van Winkle as his squads prepare to journey north to compete at The Spartan XC Invitational, the state’s largest cross country meet of the year, which will be held at Michigan State University on Friday. “We’ve been planning and preparing for this race since the beginning of summer, and I can’t wait to see our kids compete against our out-of-state rivals.” A strong Panther lineup will be driving up to East Lansing on Friday morning, and nothing wakes up the legs after a long car ride like a 5K run.
According to Panther ladies’ co-captain, junior Kayden Fields, “We’ve had this date circled on the calendar for a long time. It’s exciting because we get to miss school, we get to go out of state, and we get to see teams that we’ve never heard of. It’s like something out of a dream . . . a crazy, wonderful dream . . . and in my dream, I’m not even doing the running . . . I’m on the back of a majestic unicorn . . . and I set a PR [personal record].
Fairbanks boys’ co-captain Cam Nisly is equally as excited. “I don’t know how I’m going to sleep Thursday night. I’m so pumped. I spent the whole Thoughtful Thursday period at school thinking about the race, re-creating the course on a sheet of construction paper with glitter and glue sticks, and plotting out my race strategy. I plan on bringing a feather pillow for the car ride and maybe catching a cat nap or two on the way up, just envisioning myself tearing through the course to the roar of a large crowd.” Nisly was visibly shaking with nervous energy when interviewed for this article.
The boys race is set to go off at 12:55 PM while the girls are slated to begin at 2:10PM on Friday. There are 32 teams entered in the girls’ race and 31 teams entered in the boys race. “This is a big meet. There are a ton of schools. Things are about to get cray-cray,” said assistant coach Emily Van Winkle.
Beforehand, the Panthers will get to watch the college races which start at 11:00 AM for the Women’s 6K, followed by the Men’s 8K at 11:40 AM. Coach Van Winkle says, “It’ll be awesome to see Division 1 college men and women run. We’ve got some kids on our team that are capable of running at the college level, and this’ll be the first real college XC racing experience of their lives. I hope it motivates them to keep pushing themselves to the limits of their physical capabilities.”
After the races, the Panthers will eat a hearty dinner at Leo’s Lodge, a family owned and operated business which serves regional fare amidst a rustic atmosphere. “It’ll be like getting a taste of the state up north,” said Emily Van Winkle, a Michigan native. “Lots of cheese. Lots of dairy. Lots of goodness.” The restaurant is located at 2525 E. Jolly Road, Lansing Michigan.
The caravan for the trip will leave Fairbanks at 6:00 AM Friday morning and hopes to return to the school by 8:00 PM Friday night.