The Glacier Bears Track and Field team won big at the regional championship in Juneau. For the first time in several years, the men’s varsity team won second place for the DII (1a, 2a, 3a) all-around, and the women’s varsity team won third place in the DII all-around. Nine Haines athletes have qualified for states. Haley Boron, Carson Crager, Mark Davis, Kirby Faverty, Siyel George, Kamakana Kanahele, Wesley Verhamme, Rebecca Wheeler, and Avery Williamson leave for Palmer on Wednesday.
“It was really great seeing all these kids find their place on the team. It was a lot of fun to see them break out like that,” said assistant coach Ben Bard, “They found their stride.”
The youngest of these exceptional athletes, 14-year-old Avery Williamson who qualified for states in all three of her solo running events, found her stride in Juneau, “I’ve always run with a really wide, big stride, and (at regionals) I changed my stride from being this big loping stride to being this quick tempo. That helped me quicken my times,” she said.
“(Williamson) is going to have one heck of a high school career,” said Bard.
At regionals Williamson broke personal records in the 100, 200 and 400-meter events, closing in on both the school’s 100 and 200-meter records, all while she battled a foot injury.
Williamson said she felt strong at the beginning of her first event, the 100-meter “It’s just such a quick race and so you’re really pushing your body to the limits. But all that pressure on my foot didn’t feel good.”
A throbbing in the heel of Williamson’s foot became a pain that shot right up her leg, she said. Williamson had put too much stress on her heel, inflaming the thick band of tissue that connects her heelbone to her toes, which she later learned was a disorder called plantar fasciitis.
“As soon as the gun goes off, you kind of forget about everything. I could definitely feel it (during the 100), but everything else was tired too,” Williamson shrugged. “I tried to rest it, but I had to stay warm for the 400. Since the 400-meter is a longer race, I did feel it, and then the 200 it was definitely bad,” she said.
Since then Williamson has been bracing and icing her foot. When she lies down in bed, she said she feels it throbbing. “I just don’t want it to get worse,” she said. Williamson made it clear that her foot will not stop her from doing her best in the state-competition. She already proved she could overcome it during regionals.
“Right now, I just feel so strong and good when I run,” Williamson said. At practice, Williamson has been running against a harness to increase her strength. “I’m in good shape,” she said, the best shape she’s been in all season.
Verhamme won first place in both shot put and discus, qualifying for states. “Everyone was like, ‘Wesley, why are you so bummed? You took first.’ But it’s not about the medal it’s how you do individually,” he said.
The 15-year-old star of the field team was short from his records by a few feet. “All year long I was used to big numbers. I was used to throwing long and far, and I got it in my head,” he said.
Verhamme tried long-jump for the first time at regionals and qualified for states in that even too, jumping 17 ft. 4.75 in., but he said he’s not trying to focus on long-jump.
Eighteen-year-old Kamakana Kanahele, who graduated on Tuesday, said he is excited to compete as a Glacier Bear one last time. “I feel really proud. It’s an honor to make it and go with my teammates,” said Kanahele. “I think we worked really hard this year and everyone who’s going to states really deserved it. Our whole team deserved it, but I’m glad that we’re going to go represent Haines. I couldn’t have asked for a better team and a better coach,” he said.