Junior Olympics Cross Country

Mia [center] starts the Annual Turkey Trot 5k in Las Cruces. This has become a family tradition. Her brothers and sisters really look up to her. This year, Mica and Mikal Jade both ran with her, posting times of 32:40 and 33:55. Her little brother Bleu ran the mile fun run in 8:26. Way to go kids!

I want to thank everyone who has donated so far. I'd also like to recognize Jurney Construction and JFK Development for their contributions. Both companies donated in person rather than through the website.

IMPORTANT note: If you donate, please include your mailing address so that we can send you a receipt and let you know how she did.

Mia, after the race

Utah was gorgeous and we loved seeing the country. Mia's back was hurting for the race. She has had some trouble with that this year and driving for fifteen hours didn't help. She sucked it up and ran as well as she could, coming in sixth. Her time was slow, so she wasn't pleased. We've learned a lesson, though. When we go to Kansas we will leave in enough time to give her a day to rest before running!

Thank you so much to everyone who has donated!

Mia holding her medal for state.

There are six boys and two girls from Las Cruces going to the Junior Olympics Region X Cross Country meet this weekend. My husband Mike will be going with Mia and the rest of the kids. I want to watch her run, but it is difficult to find someone to watch six kids for four days. Yes, we have seven kids at home.

This fundraiser is to help with the costs of going to Nationals in Kansas on December 8th. I'm sure that Mia will make the top 25 and qualify. We are planning on driving and bringing the whole family next month.

Mia runs the course at Rio Rancho during the HS State Meet

The bad news is that Mica decided not to participate in Junior Olympics this year. The good news is that Mia did very well. She improved over last years state meet by 17 seconds, earning 10th place and a spot on the podium. Because she ran on Saturday, she got an automatic spot at regionals and didn't have to run on Sunday at the Junior Olympic meet. She chose to run anyway. "What's the point of being there if I'm not going to do it?" In the young women's division, only four girls ran. There were a lot of girls there from state and they all thought she was crazy for running two days in a row. That's nothing. Last year, she competed in the Border Wars and the JO Regionals within an hour of each other. Now, THAT was crazy!

Here are the articles from today's paper:

Mia and Mica pose with the District plaque.

After an exciting season running for Mayfield High School, the girls are ready to go to state. Mia [on right] led Mayfield to their second consecutive district title by taking first place with a time of 20:09. She will represent the school this Saturday at Rio Rancho and is hoping for a top ten finish. Mica did well for her first year running, cutting her time on the 5k course in half over the season.

On Sunday, both of the girls will be participating in the Junior Olympics State Cross Country meet. It will be held in Albuquerque and is a qualifier for regionals in Salt Lake City.

This fundraiser will help offset the travel costs for the girls. If they advance through regionals, nationals will be held in Kansas on December 8th. Last year, Mia qualified for nationals but was unable to attend. This year, I would love to see the girls go as far as their talent and hard work will take them!

Thank you for your support!