By Ken Hansard
After running only JV cross country last year for Fort Scott High School due to terms of the KSHSAA transfer rules, senior Josh Woellhof is understandably excited to have the opportunity to show what he can accomplish at the varsity level. “I would like to place well at our (SEK) League meet, and I want to qualify for state. Knowing this is my last and only chance really pushes me to hopefully get there.”
It turns out that this is Woellhof’s only chance to reach those goals. Josh is only in his second year of running cross country, and JV runners are not eligible to qualify for state, so he obviously wants to make the most of this opportunity. There is good reason to believe that he can do just that. Josh has pushed himself to the point that his times have improved in nearly every meet he has run, “My first goal was to start this season with a better time than I finished with last year, just as a way to show to show how hard I worked over the summer to maintain and build on my conditioning, and I did that. There has only been one race in my time as a Tiger runner that I haven’t improved on my P.R.”
Even though he is a novice to the sport, Woellhof has been around sports since he could walk, and as a senior, he is ready to step up and take a guiding role for his younger runners, “I see myself as a leader on this team. I am the only senior guy and one of three returning runners. I know I’m only in year two, but I think I also bring some experience to the team this year.”
During the off-season, Josh took a mental inventory of his status and decided to make some changes in his diet and workout regimen, “I really tried to take care of my body. I made sure to sleep more. I paid more attention to what I was eating and drinking after workouts to make sure I was giving my body that fuel it needs. I also cut way down on my energy drink consumption because that was something that I thought was hurting how I ran and how I felt after running.”
So far, so good. After medaling at every JV race last season and winning the League JV meet, Josh entered this season with high expectations. He has run in three meets to date, placing 22nd at Anderson County, 11th at Fort Scott, and 22nd at Wellsville. Those aren’t bad finishes, but it is not quite up to the standard that Josh has set for himself, “I’m not completely happy with those results, but for my first couple varsity races I will take it. It gives me lots of room for improvement. I wouldn’t say I’m satisfied with where I am right now. My attitude is always to push for improvement.”
Josh holds himself to that same lofty standard in the classroom, sporting a 4.0 GPA. In the winter, he plays basketball for the Tigers, and he is looking forward to running track in the spring.
After high school, Josh plans plan to attend college. He is still undecided on where he would like to go and what he would like to study.
