One Thing Leads to Another

     It’s strange how The Ripple Effect sometimes works in life. 

     This morning, I was flipping from one radio station to another in my car.  After being reminded of how dreadful the Blues’ home performance was last night against Minnesota, an ensuing story told of the great successes of long-time Incarnate Word Academy basketball coach Dan Rolfes.  It’s tough to argue with eight Missouri state championships and an incredible 43 student-athletes earning college basketball scholarships over a 19-year coaching stint.

     I spent countless hours this weekend highlighting a few hundred of my 1,000 or so best published pieces over a 20-year span for future article queries.  From that, it was easy to ponder and recall that some of the fall high school sports should have been wrapped up by now.  So, I decided to check the Missouri State High School Activities Association website to see where things stood.

     Lo and behold, I came across yesterday’s state cross-country results.  Having a third cousin who is an absolute running phenom, I quickly looked to the girls Class 4 results.  Right there I saw that Amie Martin of Fox High School placed 31^st at state, narrowly missing Top 10 status (including Washington High School) for the entire Greater St. Louis Area!

     Nearly always upbeat, positive and cheerful herself, plus an extremely hard worker, Martin’s feat made me think of someone else I knew looooong ago.  Her name was Shelly Hill, and she was a strong cross-country runner and track star for Lafayette High School. 

     What’s also very strange is that, after not seeing Lafayette High School for well over a decade, I had just passed by it on October 16, heading home from a wine and cheese party just a few minutes away.

     So, here is former Lancers’ sensation, Shelly Hill!

THINK POSITIVE!

     Shelly Hill is used to spreading sunshine wherever she goes.  So, Saturday morning’s inclement weather hardly put a damper on her spirits.

     The Lafayette sophomore let a smile be her umbrella as she raced to a sixth-place finish through a cold, steady rain at The St. Louis District Metro Association cross-country meet at Jefferson Barracks Park.

     “It was a hard race today because it made everything really wet and muddy,” Hill said.  “There was a big hill and it seems like it took five minutes to climb it.  I started laughing and people couldn’t believe it because we were slipping and sliding all over the place.  At the end of the race, my legs were totally numb.”

     “Shelly doesn’t let things like that bother her because she’s a real positive kid and she gets a lot of strength from her workouts,” Lafayette coach Mike Moss said.  “She’s improved a lot, and her workouts with Melisa (Rice) have really helped.  They match up real well in their abilities and really encourage one another.”

     Despite being in just her second year of long-distance competition after a good summer track sprinting background in her native Utah, Hill is hardly a newcomer to cross-country success.  As a freshman, she finished eighth in the Utah state meet running for Alta High School.

     Even then, Hill had to get used to running behind one of her teammates.  But their relationship was drastically different from Hill’s association with fellow underclassman Rice.

     “It’s great running with Melisa because she pushes me and I push her,” Hill said.  “In Utah, the girl helped me a lot, but she was a senior and I tried hard to beat her before she graduated.  I broke her freshman record and it was more competition than friendship.”

     Although Hill and Rice get along well together, that doesn’t mean that they’re not both competitive.  After running a 19-minute, 20-second race at The Northwest Invitational at Logan Chiropractic College, Hill’s goal in the final month is to break the 19-minute mark.

     Hill is quick to credit Moss for much of her improvement since she moved to the St. Louis area on July 28.  Thanks to Moss, Hill is also proud to announce a longer-term goal—to be a running coach herself.

     “I’d tell my kids the things that really helped me,” Hill said.  “I’d tell them to work hard, and if hurts, push harder because the hurt doesn’t last long after the race is over.”

     Moss said Hill has just the right disposition with people and the attitude toward life to be successful in that arena.

     “She’s a Mormon, a really religious girl, and I think her faith and attitude helps out a lot,” he said.  “She’s a very positive girl, is always grinning, and never seems to be down.  Somebody like that helps everybody smile readily.  It permeates the whole team.  Shelly is a real blessing!”

     *****Some 19 months later, one of my greatest of journalism thrills was covering the Lafayette Lancers girls first ever Missouri State High School Track and Field Class 4A Championship, held at Jefferson City’s Lincoln University.  Both Hill and Rice played major roles in that title!