The A Team’s last run
They’re running partners; the A Team.
Ariel Grubb and Amber Raines. Distance runners who proudly carried the banner for the tradition-rich Freeman track and cross country programs.
Last weekend, at the state Class 2A/1A/B track meet, the pair handed off the torch to the M Team.
“Ariel and I have been running partners since I came to Freeman as a sophomore,” Raines said. “We’ve pushed each other and I think we’ve made each other better runners. We’ve been the ‘A Team.’ Ariel’s little sister, Mara, and another freshman, Maeve Sayres, are already talking about being the ‘M Team.’ ”
It’s a fitting hand-off.
When Ariel Grubb first turned out for cross country and track as a freshman, then-senior distance standout Laura Halverson, now running for the University of Washington, was the team’s standout.
“I was so scared when I first came out that I would just shake before every meet — before every practice,” she said. “I just followed Laura and tried to do what she did.
“She was a really good role model. She showed me what I could get out of it. It was her work ethic and her ability to just go out there and keep going, even though it’s hard. That’s what I’ve kept with me this whole time and what I’m trying to pass along.”
Raines had a similar experience.
“I went to Valley Christian as a freshman, and we had a standout runner, too — Krisi Wright,” she said. “I did the same thing. I followed what she did and tried to keep up with her. She and Laura were pretty good friends, so I got to know them both.”
Raines transferred to Freeman for her sophomore year and the partnership began with cross country.
“She’s faster than me and I help keep her motivated,” Grubb said of the partnership.
In a sport where progress is measured by personal bests and not necessarily by who crosses the finish line first, Grubb and Raines have been stalwarts for the Scotties.
“They’ve been real leaders,” track coach John Hays said. “They’re out there working hard every day in practice. They lead by example.”
You can sometimes slack off on a scheduled workout, they each admit. It’s much harder to let down your friend and partner.
“Our coach never orders us to do a workout,” Grubb said. “He inspires us to finish our workout.”
“After every meet, Coach Hays gives out an Athlete of the Meet award,” Raines said. “He picks out an athlete who really improved on their personal best or who ran an extra event so the team could pick up a few more points.
“He also gives out what he calls ‘PR Stars’ every time you improve your personal record. We take a lot of pride in them.”
In their final high school meet, Raines finished eighth in the 1600- and 3200-meter runs. Grubb was 16th in the 1600 and 11th in the 3200. Sayres, the next generation, was 14th in the 1600 and seventh in the 800.
Grubb and Raines have been more than role models on the track. Grubb is the school’s valedictorian; Raines is a Running Start student who is halfway to her associate of arts degree from Spokane Community College.
Grubb, who plans to run cross country at the University of Willamette, will miss her days as a Scottie.
“I’m going to miss putting on my spikes and all the things I didn’t think I would miss,” she said. “It’s been interesting and it’s been hard at times. I haven’t always enjoyed everything there is about it. It’s a big commitment in the time it takes, and running isn’t always the best thing to do in your free time. But it’s been really rewarding.”
Raines doesn’t have immediate plans to run next year as she finishes her AA degree at SCC, but says the pull of running could be harder to resist than she thinks.
“Looking back on it now, I realize that I enjoyed it more than I gave myself credit for,” Raines said. “I think where it really pays off is in realizing what you’re capable of accomplishing and having confidence in yourself. You learn to put in that extra mile. Literally. And that builds character.”
In the meantime, they plan to keep the partnership running a little while longer.
“We’re going to run together over the summer,” Grubb said. “We just enjoy running together and I need to be ready for the fall.”