BATTLE GROUND — As the first of what they hope will be three successful postseason girls cross country races, the Camas Papermakers were not looking to smash any records Thursday. Winning is rewarding enough.
“Today I wasn’t necessarily looking for a stupid fast time,” Camas’ Emma Jenkins said. “Just tried to have fun.”
And win.
She did that, claiming the Class 4A District 4 Girls Cross Country Championship, covering the 5,000-meter course in a time of 18 minutes, 39 seconds. She topped Skyview’s Ellen Burbank by 26 seconds.
The Papermakers (Jenkins, Ellie Postma, Halle Jenkins, Madison Child, and Rachel Blair) finished 1-3-4-6-8 for a dominating 22 points for the team title.
Still, they also wanted to remind themselves that this is just the beginning. The Papermakers expect to compete for championships in the bi-district meet and then the state meet.
“Our team has bonded a ton during the past year. We all have worked very hard, motivated for the whole season,” Emma Jenkins said. “We want to finish first in state. We know we want to make it that far so we have to train hard and work as a team, not just for ourselves.”
Cross county also is an individual sport. Jenkins finished second at district a year ago. Now she is the champ.
“It definitely gives me a boost of confidence,” she said.
Jenkins credited Burbank for helping her on the course.
“When you race people, we’re all experiencing the same thing. We’re all going for the same goal (the finish line). To work together, it just helps you get through that.”
Burbank said she wanted to hang with Jenkins for as long as possible. This was a strong outing for her, but she also believes the best is yet to come.
“I feel like I accomplished a lot, and I’m happy about that,” Burbank said. “But I haven’t maxed out yet. I know I could still push forward and achieve more goals.”
She is hoping to excel at bi-district and make it to state. Not just as an individual, but with the Skyview team. Skyview took second with 46 points. Union was third at 60. The top three teams and 21 individuals advanced to bi-district.
A year ago, Burbank finished 10th at district.
“It’s all in your mind,” she said of the key to her improvement. “It’s the positive talks, good teammates, parents, and coaches that make you move forward.”
