Rams sophomore on fast track

An interviewer learns one thing quickly during a conversation with a cross country coach – never use the word “fall” in any context, as in, “Tell me about Stephanie Dye’s fall.”

You’re likely to get a nervous response like this recent one from Riverside High School coach Bill Kemp:

“What fall? I don’t know anything about a fall. When did that happen?”

She’s fine, Coach. Let me rephrase that. “Tell me about Stephanie Dye’s autumn. Her cross country season.”

After a sigh of relief, Kemp had plenty to say about Dye, who after a freshman season when she got better every week and finally broke the 20-minute barrier at the State 2A meet, has continued to improve as a sophomore. This Saturday, she’ll lead the district champion Rams into the state meet again, where her goals include another personal record and a top-three team finish.

Kemp had never heard of Dye before her freshman year. She had run track – distances, mainly – in middle school, but had been more interested in softball until she showed up at a voluntary run one night when most of the team was at a summer running camp.

“We had one girl who didn’t go to camp, and Stephanie ran with her that night. I didn’t even know she was a runner until then, but she became a regular after that. She only ran 26:03 in her first meet last year, but she knocked three minutes off the next week and almost won the freshman race at the Highlander Invitational.

“Last year was supposed to be a rebuilding year, but Stephanie and Mariah Hansen qualified for state, and last summer they helped recruit a bunch of incoming freshmen. We’re going to state, and we’re not losing anybody off this team for next year.”

Going into her freshman year at Riverside, Dye had heard from older girls about how much they enjoyed cross country, and decided she wanted to be part of what has grown into a social as well as an athletic activity.

“It isn’t like all we do is run,” she said recently. “We’re really team-oriented here, and we do lots of stuff outside of cross country. We have fun runs, mud runs, and lots of other activities. Girls come into the program knowing that it’s going to be fun.”

Dye and Hansen took it upon themselves to organize summer runs and pool and ice-cream parties during the break. Kemp attributes much of the Rams’ fall success to their summer preparation, and Dye agrees.

“Part of peaking at the right time is being ready when the season starts,” she said. “I do lots of speed workouts during the summer, then alternate those with endurance workouts once the season starts. I love it a lot, so I can really push myself.”

Dye experienced some physical problems during track season last spring, Kemp says, but she’s been healthy this fall and recorded a PR in last week’s district meet, won relatively easily by the Rams as Dye finished second to Colville’s Brittney Williams.

She’s been Riverside’s top finisher in every meet but one this fall, the South Whidbey Invitational where Kemp sent her out fast, “too fast for her condition then,” he says now.

The Rams run in several big invitational meets, especially early in the season, so they’re used to competing away from home.

“I think it pays off later in the season,” said Kemp, now in his 26th season at Riverside. “All but one of my 17 girls had a PR in districts.

“This year’s been easy for me,” he continued. “All the girls get along really well, so their energy sort of bounces off each other in a positive way. It’s really nice to have that.”

The key to meeting individual and team goals this Saturday in Pasco, Dye said, is to keep out any negative thoughts.

“We need to get pumped up and excited about running, but also be smart. The biggest thing is to stay positive.”