Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, September 15, 1995 TAG: 9509150031
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-10 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: CHAD WILLIS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: FLOYD LENGTH: Medium
``This is one of the few times that I know of where a Group A team has one of the top runners in the state on both the boys and girls teams,`` first-year coach Lee Wells said. ``Normally you just get either a great boy or girl runner.``
Cooke, a senior, was the 1994 runner-up at the Group A meet and, barring injury, has to be considered among the favorites to win the state this year. Neumann, a junior, has the next best returning time from last year's state meet behind defending state champion Trish Nervo of Glenvar. Neumann placed fourth in last season's state meet.
``They are both great runners and are very self-motivated,`` Wells said of the two Floyd County runners. ``Neither should be too heavily challenged until they get to [the Region C meet].``
Cooke has grown accustomed over the past couple of years to being in the upper echelon of runners at the Group A level. In addition to being among the state's top cross country runners, he is also defending state champion in the outdoor 1,600 meters and a two-time runner-up in the 3200.
``Track is my favorite of the two sports,`` Cooke said. ``In track I'm a state champion .``
If Cooke has the sort of cross country season many expect of him, his taste for that sport may increase accordingly.
``This year there might be a lot of guys gunning for me because of the ranking,`` Cooke said. ``Some of them might beat me early in the year, but I get geared up at the state level. The early meets are all preparation for that.``
Cooke's preparation includes running between 35 and 40 miles a week to keep in competition shape.
``Some people like to train more, but 35 to 40 miles works well for me,`` Cooke said.
Cooke said that he took up cross country because he always had a knack for running.
``In elementary school I was always the fastest runner,`` Cooke said. ``I just enjoyed it and decided to stick with it. I was the only eighth grader to stick with it.``
Cooke has emerged as the undisputed leader of the Floyd County team.
``Everybody on this team looks up to Ben as the leader,`` Wells said. ``He is in the top position and nobody on this team thinks that they are ready to challenge him for that spot.``
Challenging for the top female spot is something that Neumann hopes to do in '95. Neumann will be chasing Nervo this season in hopes of unseating the defending champion.
``Trish [Nervo] is a great runner and I really admire her for her work,`` Neuman said. ``I just want to go out there and run my best every time out, but there's nothing bad about being No. 1 behind Trish.
Neumann began running cross country in eighth grade when she accepted an offer from a member of the team to give the sport a try.
``It was a lot of fun,`` Neumann said. ``We were running along the Blue Ridge Parkway when the leaves were changing. I thought the scenery was beautiful.``
Neumann added that during that initial experience she became separated from the group and was soon lost on the parkway.
Unfortunately for her future competitors, Neumann found her way back to Floyd and onto the cross country team.
Neumann, like Cooke, runs the 1,600 and 3,200 meters races for the Buffalo track team. Unlike her counterpart, Neumann prefers cross country because of its setting.
``In track you are just running in a circle, but in cross country I can concentrate on the scenery during a meet,`` Neumann said.
Neumann, one of five girls on the Floyd County team, attributes a great deal of her success to Wells.
``For a long time there was nobody for me to run with. When Coach Wells got here he would run with me instead of taking off with the boys,`` Neumann said. ``He's always been there for me as a runner and as a friend.``
Although Wells believes Neumann has the talent to run at the collegiate level, she said she doesn't anticipate continuing beyond high school.
``I want to go to college purely for academics,`` said Neumann, who also attends Governor's School in Pulaski. ``I want to be a doctor like my father, and that will occupy a lot of my time.
``Until then I just want to continue running. My goal for the season is to have the best year I've ever had.``
by CNB