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DyeStat Florida's FROSH of the Week - Week 7 - DyeStatFL 2015Published by
Every week during the regular cross-country season, we highlight one girl and boy as our FROSH of the Week. These are runners who will eventually be the Class of 2019. Our old motto, "The Future Runs Now" is still very much intact as we follow the storylines, careers and future of these honored freshmen.
With the end of the regular season behind us, it's on to the State Series and the first opportunity for our Frosh to compete in sudden death races where teams and individuals move on to the next round or start thinking of track several months away. Our last 2 honorees as FROSH of the Week are both going on with their teams to Regionals this coming week. They are proving to be instrumental cogs in their teams success and are amongst the best in the State.
Our Girls FROSH of the Week is Charlotte's Isabella Coogan.
Isabella has been on a roll during her first season for the Tarpons. With a season best time of 20:14 at the FSU Pre-State Invitational, Isabella most recently led the Tarpons across the line as thier first finisher, 3rd overall, and a team District runner-up as they move on to compete in Region 3A Region 3 this week.
Coach Robishaw - Thank you for recognizing Isabella for her achievements thus far this season. This will be extremely challenging to keep brief but here it goes. When I first saw Isabella Coogan this past summer, I immediately recognized she had the build of a solid runner. The first day, I sent her 2 or 3 miles with other newcomers, and my returners were all doing 5 or 6 miles. She was not phased at all by this. The following week, I sent her out with all of my veterans to do 5-6 miles. Not only was she completing the mileage with ease, but she was in the front. After only 2 weeks, she went to New York for the remainder of the summer. I had given her a few pointers on what to do as far as training goes, and it was obvious when she got back that she had been running her entire time up there.
As far as this season is concerned, Isabella has made a huge impact on our team. We have had many talented runners in the past 8 years I’ve been coaching. Isabella is the first freshman to be our #1 runner from the start of the season and throughout. And that hasn’t changed her. She continues to remain humble, and is a great teammate to her fellow runners. All of them get along extremely well with one another. And she is just as driven and motivated now as she was the first day I met her.
She is always wanting to improve and she possesses a fierce competitive nature! These are things that come from within and are not coachable. In a sport where most runners (especially younger) are concerned with times, Isabella cares most about placement. After her first race where she was 14th or 15th at about 1 and a half miles and ended up finishing 4th, she said to me, “I just tried to beat as many as I could”.
To hear this from any runner, let alone a freshman, was inspiring to me as a coach. She understands that the times will fall into place. She has the right mindset, and if she continues to listen and trust in our system, the sky is the limit for this talented athlete.
Isabella Coogan - I didn’t really know what to expect when I first began running cross-country. I just go out there and run for fun. I hope to continue to do well throughout the season and into next season. My first meet came as a surprise to me. I didn't realize that cross country actually meant running across grass, hills, hay bales, galore. Before I started cross country the most I had run was three miles, a few road races, and that was pushing it.
Over the summer, I met with the team a few times to prepare for the season, and that’s when I first began to do higher mileage runs. Nothing could have prepared me for the heat and speed workouts though. Those are the hardest, but they make you the strongest. I have seen myself get so much stronger throughout the season and I hope to continue to get stronger and end on a high note. I am so thankful for my incredible team and coach. Cross country is a sport that requires extreme dedication and strength and I have fallen in love with it.
Our Boys FROSH of the Week is George Jenkin's Brady Zimmerman.
Brady is quickly making a name for himself as a solid harrier winning his race at Disney, finishing 2nd at the Polk County Championships and just this past weekend finishing as the District runner-up in 4A District 5. Brady's 16:48 PR came at the Polk County Championships and this weekend he and his team will be heading to the 4A Region 2 Championships where he will once again look to lead the Eagles across the line. Brady Zimmerman - Thank you so much for choosing me as the Freshman of the Week! It is an honor to be chosen for this award. It has been a long season. I started running with my team in the third week of June and it was pretty tough. I had been running a lot at my middle school, but I never knew how many miles we would put in each week. I quickly adjusted and began training at the same velocity as my other teammates. We trained all summer and went to Brevard Distance Running Camp. We all enjoyed camp because of running in the mountains and how much we bonded. Then, at the end of summer, our pre-season race came. We decided to run in the last Watermelon Series race. I ran a PR at the time of 17:55 and I was really excited about it. Everyone on the team ran great races considering we hadn’t started any speed training at all.
Once the season started our training change focus and we all began to improve and have all PR’d. There have been ups, such as finishing first at the Disney Cross Country Classic, and downs, missing first in district by one point, but all in all, it has been a great season. Thank you to my family, coach, and teammates for pushing me to be the best I can be. I hope for me and my team to succeed the rest of the year and in years to come.
RELATED - SEE ALL FROSH OF THE WEEK FOR 2015 | 2014 | 2013
There are many factors that come into play when determining the "Frosh of the Week", including; time, place, rank against other freshmen, and overall impact they have on their team. We will not highlight the same Frosh more than once and the honors are purely subjective. If you wish to nominate your athlete for "Frosh of the Week" please e-mail me [email protected] with their name and why they are deserving of the honor. |
