50 Tickets to Brooklyn: #13

Many on these lists achieved state-level success last fall, usually an All-State bid or top placing at Regionals, but not Clara
Her season was on that path, full of mid-18’s, on the road to continuing the legacy she established as a freshman, but was unfortunately cut short due to injury
That freshman year was among the best you’ll see: sub-18, Top-10 in Division 1 XC, 10:32 on the track, Regional XC victory
The journey back has been gradual, but we’ve been able to see signs that she’s returning to her previous great form
- Sub-11:00 in the 3200m came at three points throughout the season, showing those efforts were no fluke
- By mid-May, she had run 5:02 in the 1600m, my guess is if she ran that fresh in June, she would have been sub-5
And how could I forget? The TRIATHLONS
- You’ll have to excuse me, I’m well-versed in finding running results, triathlon not so much
- 6^th at Junior Americas, 6^th at Flatland, 2^nd at Tri Monroe
- I don’t know much, but a 19:54 after swimming and cycling seems pretty dang good
Anyhow, it’s been a journey back, sometimes the slower the better, the more appreciative we’ll be when Clara is back on stage in Brooklyn come fall

The one major exception
Everyone knows (or should know) that these rankings are all numbers
- XC ratings, projected improvements based on past runners, track times converted to future XC ratings – these lists are all formulas
But Thomas throws a wrench into all those – where do you put a kid that couldn’t break 17:00 in the fall, but runs 4:12 as a sophomore (which would be a state record if not for Seth Norder and Brendan Herger)?
I believe this is the best spot and I’m confident those below and above would agree
If you followed Thomas’s meteoric rise, you know his past and story, his first block of consistent training was this winter and spring, the times just kept rolling
- First it was a 4:39 indoors in January, then sub-10 in early February, then 4:24, all following a linear progression that kept going until he reached 4:12/9:19
What I found astounding was looking at Thomas’s times as a freshman, a true show of how far he’s come, only breaking 20:00 once
The atmosphere in Anchor Bay is tremendous, no doubt spurred by Tom’s jaw-dropping performances
- But from afar, I can tell it’s drawn more from the camaraderie as a team – and in a few weeks we’ll see how much Tom and the Tars can throw a wrench into the Macomb County traditional standings

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