Bridget Berg to BorderClash 9


   

 

 

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)