Joey Payeur
Sydney Radigan could say she never doubted the Muskie cross-country running team would wind up making school history.
But she admitted she wouldn’t have exactly been expressing an honest opinion.
“At the beginning, not really,” laughed the Grade 12 runner about whether the black-and-gold would qualify for the senior girls’ division at the OFSAA championships set for this Saturday in Duntroon, south of Collingwood.
“But over the months, we got better,” she noted.
“The goal this year was to go to OFSAA and I couldn’t be more proud.”
Fort High has sent individual runners to OFSAA before, most recently Hailey Beaudry, who made it to the provincials the past three years.
But it’s the first time the program has managed to qualify in the team event.
That’s exactly what happened when the Muskies finished second in the senior girls’ standings at the NWOSSAA championships in Thunder Bay back on Oct. 21.
“This is really special because at the beginning of the year, we looked at NWOSSAA and said we can make it out of there as a team, we can do this,” recounted veteran Muskie runner Tory Beaudry.
“When we got to Thunder Bay, we were a little unsure,” she admitted.
“But it turned out to be a great surprise and worked out for us.”
Feeding that success was the improvement in cross-country rookies like Erin Tomalty and returnees such as Gabi Peters and Kennedi Handberg.
“I definitely didn’t expect to make it,” chuckled Tomalty, who, along with Beaudry, is no stranger to the all-Ontario scene having gone to OFSAA in girls’ curling two years ago.
“I joined the team just for the fun of it and to get into good shape for curling season,” she noted.
As for Peters, she was encouraged by her development over the past two seasons.
“I’m more confident in myself and I pushed myself hard over the season,” she remarked.
“I’ve progressed the way I’d like to by working hard and having fun.”
Handberg, who is going to OFSAA as an alternate and only will compete if another Muskie has to pull out before the race, is approaching the provincials with a sound mental approach.
“I’m excited that our team made it and it feels special to be able to go with them,” she said.
“It looks as though everybody is going to be able to run for our team,” Handberg added.
“But I’ll still be taking part in the training runs and if I have to end up going in, I’ll be ready.”
Muskie captain Jenny Hammond, who finished third overall at NWOSSAA, is thrilled her trip to Collingwood doesn’t have to be a solo flight.
“I’m really happy to get to go with the team,” she enthused. “It’s a much greater experience when you get to go with friends.
“It would be good to place high, but we just have to try our best because it’s more about beating our own times,” Hammond reasoned.
The top four finishers out of the five Muskies entered at OFSAA will provide the final combined finishing time for the team and determine its place in the overall standings.
Muskie coach John Dutton, meanwhile, said he didn’t stray from his normal training regimen—even with the extra week between events.
“The day after NWOSSAA, we were out running hills,” he noted.
“They’re very enthusiastic and they are very deserving to go because they work hard.”
Dutton added his team will have an advantage when it comes to any steep inclines on the OFSAA trail due to all the focus the Muskies have been doing on running hills during practice.
The only monkey wrench in their plan for success, said Dutton, is the fact most of the southern Ontario schools slated to be at OFSAA likely already have tried out the race course at the Duntroon Highlands Golf Club.
But that doesn’t dent his aspirations for his team members, including Hammond.
“I think we’ve got a runner [in Hammond] that can be in the top 50, and I would love to put three more in the top 150,” Dutton said.
“Our success is not going to be measured by medals.”
