In Which I Brag and Beg a Favor

My Niece Lucy at the UT State Cross-Country championship.
She's totally intense, even in warm-ups. Eye of the Tiger, baby!

My niece is the most spectacular, amazing young athlete in the history of high school athletes. She's a wonder. Just ask her Grandpa.

But seriously, she's kind of a big deal in Utah.

Last year she was just a wee freshman runner. In her first cross-country season, she discovered that she really likes running. And she has some talent too. She had her eyes on the faster, stronger, more experienced runners ahead of her on the team and as the season went by, she consistently closed the gap between them.

Then came the track season. She had a promising start, but then all of a sudden, she got a little sick. It was just a little cold, but it slowed her down. At the same time, the girls she was chasing seemed to find a higher gear and she just couldn't catch up. After a disappointing (to her...she did quite well by normal people standards) track season, she and her parents looked into what she could do to improve. She changed her diet, corrected an iron deficiency, and practiced some new positive thinking skills.

I think nobody expected the Lucy who showed up for cross-country in the fall of her sophomore year. Her name was conspicuously absent from who-to-watch high school sports reports, and yet she was winning almost every race she ran. My Nicco did a P.E. report on her in which she stated that her goal was to win the state championship and go to Nationals. That may seem like a lofty goal for a sophomore who had yet to beat the defending state champion, but Miss Lucy pretty much decides what she wants to do and goes out and does it.

A rare break in the intensity--our girl is smiling!
About to win, and come in under 18 minutes. Wowsers.

She continued chopping seconds off her time, she continued closing the gap between herself and the reigning champ, and by the time the State Championship rolled around, Lucy was ready. She not only won the race, but she ran the fastest time of all the girls in all divisions on the course that day. She recorded the fifth fastest time on that course ever, in history. She's legit.

The top 10 finishers at state, minus one; the WINNER on the right.

She ran the southwest regional race in Mesa AZ, and I cried a few nostalgic tears and tears of pride. Her Mama somehow kept it together. I guess she's used to it. Lucy did indeed qualify for nationals. Including the girls who ran different races that day, she's in the top 100 cross-country runners in the nation. In the whole wide U S of A.

People who had missed her in earlier reports took notice. Kids on sidelines whispered, "Do you think that is Lucy Biles?" as she walked by.

Now, she is nominated for the Utah Governor's State of Sport Awards in the category of High School Female Athlete. You don't even have to be from Utah to vote, and you can vote from all your devices! Wouldn't it be awesome, not just for my niece to win, but for a kid representing a sport other than soccer, basketball, or volleyball to win? Runners Rule! Vote for Lucy! Tell your friends!

http://www.stateofsportawards.com/