For the second time in three years, members of the Haines High cross-country running team earned a parade up and down the streets of their small, Southeast Alaska town.
Fresh off a girls and boys team sweep of the ASAA Division III state championships days before, 30-plus athletes and coaches piled on to six total vehicles Monday. The lineup of rigs included a fire truck, police car, ambulance and three pick-up trucks.
The cavalcade hit all the main spots on Main Street and elsewhere, everyone soaking in the deserved adulation from parents, friends and community members. But Glacier Bears coach Jordan Baumgartner said one stop along the way carried a heavy dose of emotional weight.
“When we drove by the line of elementary school kids,” Baumgartner said. “One of the top reasons for the parade was for them to see us and hopefully help spark an interest in running.
“It was the best of the day, watching all the young kids, siblings and cousins seeing our success. We heard some of the loudest cheering from them.”
Prior to the parade and fanfare, Haines dominated at the DIII state meet for schools with 1-50 students along the Bartlett High trails in Anchorage. The girls scored 34 team points to second-place Glennallen’s 54, freshman Ariel Godinez-Long won the five-kilometer race and three other runners finished in the top 11 (Grace Long, Mackenzie Dryden and Avari Getchell).
On the boys side, the Glacier Bears amassed 38 points to win the title. Petersburg finished second with 44 points. Leo Wald grabbed second place for the Glacier Bears and three other runners finished in the top 10 (Luke Davis, Kaleb Jones and Gaelyn Allen).
Haines also swept the team titles in 2019.
Baumgartner said Avery Williamson was the top Haines girls performer entering state, but was hampered by a sore knee. The wet, sloppy conditions Saturday made for some apprehension, yet she toughed it out to finish 13th. Logan Borcik hustled to lock down 15th place in the boys race with a personal-best time of 20-minutes even (20:00.0). He carved 90 seconds from his previous best outing.
“He really pushed himself,” said Baumgarter, who finished his second year as head coach and is responsible for starting a middle-school program when he arrived in Haines five years ago. “Logan was kind of kids that bought into our system and concentrated on his nutrition. He changed his diet and drank nothing but water the two days leading up to state.
“After the race, he told me how excited he was to make his parents proud. He’s so eager to continue running as a senior.”
Speaking of parents, Baumgartner was thrilled to see so much support when the runners traveled to Alaska’s largest city, about 760 miles northwest of Haines.
“We had 14 total runners in the state meet and I probably saw seven or so parents who had also made the trip,” Baumgartner said. “It’s all so super supportive.
“We’re quite the community.”
The Glacier Bears are scheduled to hold their season banquet next week and the celebration will continue.
“With only three seniors on this year’s team, we’re young and the future is bright,” Baumgartner said. “I figured we’re bound to be more motivated and ready to compete.”
And possibly plan for another parade.
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