FALL PREVIEW: Park Hill Girls Cross Country

Sometimes less is more. That’s what Park Hill girls cross country coach Jason Parr is hoping as his team heads into the 2012 season. Despite only having a little more than 20 girls on the team, Parr believes he’s seen more dedication and commitment coming into this year compared to some of his bigger teams of the past.

“The focus has been totally different this year, it’s kind of been fun because I’ve got girls who are telling me they want to work this year,” Parr said. “We don’t have a lot of girls this year, maybe 20 or 21, but they’re ready to contribute.”

Returning for Park Hill and leading the way is two-time state qualifier junior Kim Rau who will be joined by sophomore Mercedes Robinson. Both had successful track seasons in the spring and kept the momentum going through the summer, as did a number of the girls who will make up the core of this year’s team including Gianna Tutorino, Brooke Bischof, Madeline Mudd, Emma Gaiser, Libby Lund, and number of other young runners.

Now in his third year, Parr says he spent the summer with his team focusing in on how to fulfill what has the potential to be a very talented team.

“We’re kind of reprocessing and re-evaluating everything, and kind of starting over again. We had a great track season and over the summer re-thought everything we do,” Parr said. “We established contact day requirements meaning they had to make 18 days to run a meet. We ended up having some of the best summer miles that we’ve ever had.”

Along with the new energy and approach has come a new attitude, one which is comfortably confident and business-like.

“I’d say the attitude this year is calm. Our girls come, work, don’t say much, and really go about their business. They’re a close bunch,” Parr said. “We’re really looking to whoever says I’m going to commit to this and ready to do this. They’re the ones who are going to get the job done.”

Park Hill starts the season off at the Liberty Invitational on September 1st, but the KC Metro Classic at the end of the month is what Parr believes will be a good tool to judge the Trojans’ progress leading into the conference and district meets.

“A good meet is always KC Metro. It’s a flat, fast course that can help up evaluate half-way through the season,” Parr said. “Our goal is to always get as many girls to the state meet. It’s just something we work for and that’s something the girls look to.”

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY PREVIEW: Park Hill running towards head of the pack

When Coach Jason Parr took over the Park Hill Girls Cross Country program last year his team set a goal to put themselves on a path towards previously uncharted success. With an extremely young squad and a high number of athletes out for the team, they experienced mixed results in their first year of new leadership. A first place finish in the Rim Rock Classic was followed by a third place finish at the conference meet, but with their true focus always on the state meet they lost momentum going into the final weeks finishing last in the sectional meet and qualifying only one runner for state.

“We ran Rim Rock and won it,” Parr said. “I was proud of them, but we kind of lost some steam there towards the end of the season.”

The good thing for Park Hill is they return nearly all their young varsity runners and will have about 70 teammates, only three of which are seniors, to compete against as they continue to focus on their steady growth as a program. Returning for the Trojans is their sole state qualifier and district title holder sophomore Kim Rau along with classmates Brooke Bischof, Maddie Bischof, Maggie Lanham, Joanna Grauberger, and Maddie Hemphill. Adding to the competition will be some new faces in Mercedes Robinson, Emma Gaiser, Paige Carey, Delaney Stevenson, Abby Muller, and Olivia Muller. Their young fire was evident over the summer and Parr believes it’s been consistent with not only their growth as a team, but as individuals.

“The girls really took initiative this summer to put some miles in. It just comes with maturity and being able to tell themselves, ‘I know in order to get better I’m going to have to train,” Parr said.

One area of importance, the Trojans continue to focus on is the team aspect of the sport. Running together in a pack instead of as seven separate individuals allows for a constant source of motivation.

“They’ve got to know what it’s like for seven girls to be in a pack that are pushing each other. Getting them comfortable knowing that there are six other girls pushing them,” Parr said. “You can’t have your top runner up front with everyone else in the middle. You’ve got to have a group up front, pushing from the beginning.”

While their coach says you’ll find the group full of a variety of free-spirited, fun, and caring girls, fellow competitors shouldn’t expect to hear them passing them from behind.

“They’re the quietest bunch I’ve ever had. You’re not going to hear a lot of hurrah and jumping around,” Parr said. “You’re going to see leadership by example from Kim Rau, Maggie Lanham, and Brooke Bischof. They don’t have to say anything; they just go out there and work hard.”

Park Hill hopes to compete well in the Missouri Southern Stampede in Joplin against over 100 teams in September. They’ll also be eyeing defending conference champ Lee’s Summit West this season for their own shot at the title, but they want their real success to be measured by what happens after the conference meet in sectionals and state. Experiencing small doses last year, they’ll be looking to take the program another step up this season.

“Our expectations are always the state meet. Some of our girls tasted that last year so they understand what it’s going to take to get there,” Parr said.

Young Trojan runners are setting the tone

With Coach Jason Parr in his first season leading the Park Hill girls cross country team, you knew there would be a change in attitude and pace for the Trojans runners. You also knew with the top runners all freshmen and sophomores they would be a young team. The Trojans have laid substantial building blocks for the future this season and are hoping their young team is one to reckon with in coming years. It was on display last weekend as the Trojans placed third place in the conference meet, falling just short of second as a team by a combined two minutes with their top runner, Kim Rau, placing fourth individually.

It was just three weeks ago when Park Hill competed in the Rim Rock Classic in Lawrence, one of the largest races of the year, and came away with a first place finish in their division. Although Parr circled the race at the beginning of the season, he believes it was something that helped the girls build momentum and confidence.

“I think what really got the girls’ attention was winning the Rim Rock Classic Blue Division,” Parr said. “I reminded our girls that if we can run like this at one of the toughest courses in the Midwest then expect great opportunity later on.”

The Trojans have been fairly consistent with finishes in the top half of their races all season. Their top runners have remained a steady group of athletes including Rau, Brooke Bischof, Chelsey Lewis, Maggie Lanham and Joanna Grauberger along with Paige Carey, Maddie Bischof and Maddie Hemphill rounding out the varsity team. Rau has been the team’s top placer in each race and seen significant success as a freshman.

“Kim is a very quiet competitor. She just focuses on what she has to do and she does it,” Parr said of Rau. “She is one of the most talented distance runners I have ever seen.”

The Trojan runners have plenty of praise to go around though, as Parr also said he believes he has one of the most talented teams the school has ever had. With a team of freshmen and sophomores, there appear to be some promising days ahead for the program. One thing Parr realizes with such a young group, leadership is important.

“It’s really hard for them to understand what leadership is at this point. I think when a coach has this young of a group it is hard for any of them to determine who is going to be the leader,” Parr said.

With the district meet coming up this weekend and a state meet qualification on the line, there’s no mistaking that challenges are still ahead.

“I’m empowering each and every runner on our team to take control of their own destiny,” Parr said of his team message. “I reminded our girls that if average racing is all you are going to do then expect to be average runners and get average results.”

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY PREVIEW: New PH coach has sights set high

The Park Hill Girls Cross Country program has never won a conference championship or qualified for state. After speaking with first year head coach Jason Parr, you’d get the feeling that could soon change. An assistant the past three years, Parr is setting ambitious goals for his team and is already showing signs of where he’d like to take the program.

“We’re looking to start a new chapter, almost a new program,” Parr said. “We’ve got great numbers this year. We’ve got 40-50 girls out this year compared to 16 girls last year. We’ve already doubled the size of our team.”

Not only do the Trojans have more runners, but they have tough competition taking place to run varsity.

“I’ve got 16 girls right now fighting for the top seven spots,” Parr said. “I’ve never had that before.”

They’ll be led by senior captains Sarah Pennington and Maddie Cummings who, although not on varsity, their coach says have been great inspirations to their younger teammates.

“They’re great girls and they encourage the others to get them through practice,” Parr said. “Without their help, we couldn’t do what we do.”

In what they hope is a groundbreaking year, the Trojans are taking a focused approach to running together in packs. By running at a high tempo together, Parr says, it allows the team to place higher compared to all seven runners going their separate ways.

“We’ve never won the conference, never made it to state as a team, but those are things we’re going to do this year with the group of girls we have,” Parr said. “As a coach you never want to be overconfident with your team, but I’ve been training with them over the past year and I know what they can do.”

An indicator of the Trojans’ progress will come at the Rim Rock Classic on September 25th. Over a thousand runners will participate and Parr already knows the message his team wants to send.

“We’re going to represent Park Hill and let everyone know we’re a new team who’s ready to show up to get it done,” Parr said.