Take the top 40 runners across all Classes from two of the top HS Running states on the west coast. Put them all together in a showdown for best of the west. Drop that showdown in the quintessential center of running.
What you get is Borderclash. This is the ninth season Nike has hosted this showdown of High School’s best. Borderclash has grown to be one of the most talked about events of the cross country season.
Borderclash is hosted on the 2.6 k course on the Nike campus in Beaverton Oregon. Just being there is excitement enough for these young athletes. The pride and recognition of being the best in their field should be enough, add that to the pleasure and privilege of being at and running at the Nike Campus, a place designed from the ground up to indulge, glorify and proliferate excellence in athletics.
Borderclash is nested comfortably between the Final State championships and the NTN Regionals in Portland, Or and the Footlocker Regional Qualifiers at Mt.Sac, Ca, both on Dec 1.
Some of these runners and teams look on this race as a low pressure, outing, a breather to breath deep and strut their stuff before the real work on the path to the national finals. Many of these young athletes, however, see Borderclash as the final test in a long successful season, to some it will be their last high school race.
Enter Bridget Berg, Senior, Ballard High School 9th Place 4A State 19:04
Second Year attending Borderclash Bridget began running in her sophomore year. Her original intent was to dive and play tennis. Luck yfor us all she soon found what grew to be her real athletic forte. Brigdet runs. From her first days at summer conditioning, her coach, Bruce Drager knew she had that something extra needed to be a winner. It took Bridget until the end of her sophomore year to understand what Coach Drager knew. In a late season 3200 Bridget found here groove, put things together and soundly passed and beat the best 3200 at her school and on her team. After this race Bridget saw herself as the kind of athlete she would grow to be. She set down a vigorous training program and slowly and steadily improved with each race. Last year she placed 18th at her first state meet with 19:37. This year she placed 9th with a 19:07. Two years previous, this fine athlete was jumping of the high dive and hitting a green ball across a tennis court!
This year at Pasco, Bridget Berg became the best High School girl XC athlete to compete from Ballard High School, ever! Bridget Berg is the first girl, from her school, to place as high as ninth in the state meet. She is also the first girl, from Ballard, to attend Borderclash, let alone twice.
Last year Bridget went to Borderclash , happy to have qualified, happy to be going, happy to see how it was hanging out with the fast kids. Her intention was just to have fun, enjoy her success and bask in the honor. She finished 31st, maintaining her position in the state finalists with a 17:34
This year is different. She is fully aware of her self in place and time, she understands where she is, how she got there and sees a clear path into the future. Late in her sophomore year she understood that her preparation for success and that success, would become a means to an end. Running would become the path and the tool. She is going to Borderclash this year to add one more successful race to her long list of races.
This is not a rest on the way to Footlocker, for Bridget Berg this is the next race, her next race in a long line of next races.
Borderclash offers an important validation to these young athletes. It allows them to see themselves as the exceptional athletes they are in a large and successful group of other, just like them. It is place they can be comfortable in their ability and grow to understand that there are others like them, set in a place that is built around and proliferates athletic success.
WASHINGTON GIRLS 2007
Kayla Evans 4A 2nd
Sandra Martinez 4A 3rd
Devin McMahon 4A 4th
Sarah Lord 4A 5th
Alyssa Andrews 4A 6th
Lacey Wagner 4A 7th
Nicole Cochran 4A 8th
Bridget Berg 4A 9th
Cia Bywater 4A 10th
Lyndy Davis 4A 11th
Ellie Bonner 4A 12th
Sadie Mohler 4A 13th
Chelsea Orr 4A 15th
Mietra Smollack 4A 16th
Kate Stuart 4A 18th
Annie Dear 4A 19th
Haley Nemra 4A 20th
Anna Kalbrener 4A 21st
Shawna Schooley 4A 22nd
Katelyn Steen 4A 23rd
Bronwyn Crossman 3A 1st
Chelsea Burns 3A 2nd
Emily Farrar 3A 4th
Natty Plunkett 3A 5th
Margo Cramer 3A 6th
Amanda Wright 3A 7th
Clarkie Hussey 3A 8th
Carey Parker 3A 9th
Natalie Afonina 3A 11th
Ruby Roberts 2A 1st
Annie Moore 2A 2nd
Shannon Porter 2A 3rd
Caroline Austin 2A 4th
Torin Shriver 2A 5th
Marki Creger-Zier 2A 6th
Becca Friday 2A 7th
Olivia Thomas 1A 1st
Molly Billingham 1A 3rd
Joscelyn Minton .1B 1st
Jillian Altizer
WASHINGTON BOYS 2007
Miles Unterreiner 4A 1st
Robby Webster 4A 2nd
Kevin Rosaaen 4A 3rd
Jono Lafler 4A 4th
Anthony Ellis 4A 5th
Yon Yilma 4A 6th
Kelly Lynch 4A 8th
Shane Moskowitz 4A 9th
Scott Larson 4A 10th
Kyle King 4A 11th
Shane Weldon 4A 12th
Joey Bywater 4A 13th
Kyle (Vinny) VanSanten 4A 14th
Eric Cronrath 4A 15th
Justin Englund 4A 16th
Daniel Renz 4A 17th
Jon Phillips 4A 18th
Conner Peloquin 4A 19th
Aiden Irish 4A 20th
Marcus Budig 4A 22nd
Ryan Prentice 3A 1st
Andrew Kimpel 3A 2nd
Shane Geiger 3A 3rd
Andrew Gonzales 3A 4th
Julian-Blake Cowan 3A 5th
Steven Hicks 3A 6th
Daniel Paine 3A 7th
Leon Dean 3A 8th
Trevor Thompson 3A 9th
Jeff Howard 3A 10th
Justin Rose 2A 1st
Abdi Giire 2A 2nd
Danny Lindstrom 2A 3rd
Richard Keroack 2A 4th
Quinton Decker 2A 5th
Josh Simpson 2A 6th
Mason McHenry 2A 7th
Matt Cronrath 1B 1st
Kyle Johnson 1A 3rd
Tim Welch 1A 4th
Schedule
Saturday, November 17, 2007
12:00 - 3:00
Arrive and register in Tiger Woods Center (see campus map)
2:00 - 4:00
Running Gait Analysis at the Nike Sports Research Lab. Mandatory course run-through with respective team captains: 3:00 Oregon Girls 3:15 Washington Girls 3:30 Washington Boys 3:45 Oregon Boys
5:00 - 6:00
Athlete Activity
6:15 - 7:00
Dinner at Tiger Woods Center
7:00 - 8:30
Presentation Nike elite athletes and special guest speaker
8:30 - 10:00
Coaches social
Dinner will be provided for athletes and coaches free of charge. FAMILIES MAY ATTEND DINNER FOR A COST OF $15/PERSON (under 6 eat free). Dinner passes are available for purchase during registration. Everyone is invited to the post-dinner opening presentation.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
9:00
Course opens
10:30
Girls' race
11:15
Boys' race
12:00
Awards presentation (the top 10 individuals in each race and top combined State team will receive special awards)