HOLLAND, Mich. — Jr. Arianne Olson rounded the muddy infield of the Michigan International Speedway. Only 400 meters to go… She kept her eyes on the jersey in front of her and crossed the red finish line in third at 17:36. Thrilled, Olson then saw teammate Fresh. Helen Sachs finish only 12 seconds later. The entire team ran extremely well—the best in school history. But the West Ottawa girls’ cross-country program did not reach this level of success overnight.

2019

Three years ago, Kyle Barnes arrived at West Ottawa High School as the new cross-country coach. “We basically changed everything when we came to West Ottawa,” Barnes said, “from the training, to the culture, to learning how to win. Cross-country running is not only a measure of your fitness level but of your toughness and how much pain and suffering you’re willing to endure.”

Shared Suffering

Shared suffering is a theme that has been ingrained in the girls’ mindsets and printed on their shirts. “Shared suffering is going through a difficult experience with your teammates,” Barnes said. “All of this ‘suffering’ in racing, and especially in training, is a lot easier and more fun if you do it together with your teammates who are going through the same thing.”

August 2021

For their annual trip, the cross-country team planned an excursion to Mackinac Island. “We have a lot of success because of our team culture and the bond that forms over time because of the things they have to go through to have the success we have as a team,” Barnes said.

“We ran through downtown, and all the people cheered for us. They probably thought we were crazy running in the heat in duck-patterned shorts and sports bras,” Sr. Kaia Denhof said. “It was a good day for our training and just a great team bonding experience,” Sr. Caitlin Derby said.

Saturday, October 2

West Ottawa won the Otsego Bulldog Invitational with 23 points, and many athletes achieved a personal record (PR), including Soph. Chloe Rooks. She finished at 29:22 with lots of support from the team, and she earned the ‘Hungry Dawg’ award. “I ended up crying from happiness on the way home,” Rooks said.

Thursday, October 21

Prior to Coach Barnes’ arrival, the team had never won the OK Red Conference Meet. This year, West Ottawa won the varsity race, scoring 31 points. This motivated the JV team to dominate their competition as well. Sr. Abby Green won the JV race with a 20:14 PR. Her accomplishment was attainable through sharing the suffering of racing with teammates close behind. “Racing with Jane, Lauren, and Julia pushes me to be better,” Green said.

Friday, October 29

The girls won the MHSAA Regional Meet at Portage with 39 points. Regional runner-up was Zeeland West, led by Coach Aaron Kenemer. “The WO girls are on another level,” Kenemer said. “They have set the bar for what an elite cross-country program is like. I know they turn a lot of heads having two of the top five fastest girls in the state. The thing I have started to see, too, which is even more scary, is the depth and growth from their 5-15 runners. They are not only winning the varsity races but also the JV races.”

Saturday, November 6

The day of the Championship Meet, the team boarded the Cardinal bus at 7am, layered in WO gear to keep warm until the 2:30pm race…where they were named state runner-up, with 100 points—achieving the best finish in school history! “The cross-country team is one of the most supportive groups of people ever,” said Sr. Sophie Bonnema. “Everyone is really great at making you feel good about yourself. Whether you had a great race or a horrible race, your friends and teammates are always there to hug you at the finish line.”

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