Photo by Kiera Classen

On Thursday, October 20, Cross Country ended its season at Arapahoe County Fair Grounds at the annual regional meet, but for one runner the season is yet to be over.

Senior, Rovel Berhe came in 3^rd out of 200 runners with an outstanding time of 16:42 on a 5k race. “This was one of my best runs.  The finish line was a great place to be at that time,” said Berhe, smiling.

On October 29^th, Berhe will be competing at the state meet at Arapahoe County Fair Grounds. “I’m really excited to see him run.  Rovel and I are continuing to practice until state,” said Cross Country Coach Wendy Doyle. “He did really good at Regionals; now we’re going to see how he to comes out for State.”

As Berhe reminisces about the season he explains how he reached his goal this year and how hard he works, even through challenges. “At the beginning of the season it was hard, but I started getting used to it towards the end,” he said.

Berhe plans to continue running during the winter to get ready for track and hopes to run for a college team. “Even though I do track, I love cross country a lot because I get to run a lot more and express myself,” said Berhe.

“He earned his well-deserved spot at state, and got a grade time.  He’s an amazing runner and a hard worker,” says teammate Kira Classen.

Photo by Kiera Classen

Rovel Berhe is a TJ Spartan who many people see every day, but the general public may not know that he is one of the top ten runners in the state.

Rovel started attending Thomas Jefferson High School in his sophomore year (2009-2010), after transferring from George Washington High School. He proudly proclaims that he loves Thomas Jefferson; he loves the coaches, he loves the teachers, and most of all he loves the people.  Rovel’s life revolves around running.  He says, “I’m not gonna lie, running is the most important thing to me.”  His teammates know him as a very hard worker with some very big goals.  Rovel’s fastest time for a 5k (which is approximately three miles) is 17:06.  His goal for this year is to cut that time down by two minutes to a 15:45, which is the fastest time in 4A competition. He believes that if he is unable to attain this time by the end of the season it will be much harder for him to get a scholarship.

Rovel has another goal that exceeds the want for a 15:45 time. “I want to win state and I think I can do it. I have worked so hard I think I deserve to win state,”  said Rovel, who clearly has a lot of belief in himself.  “I have a big ego,” he explains, and many of his teammates confirm that statement.

“Rovel picks up the slack we all leave behind by how good he is,” teammate Keith Hussey said. “Rovel is a huge encouragement to the rest of the team; we all see him working so hard that he encourages us to work harder, too.”

Rovel further boasts with a confident grin, “I am the best runner TJ has ever seen.”

Rovel says that his biggest motivation when he runs is, “When people are faster than me I just make myself run faster so that I can pick them off one by one.”  Rovel states that his favorite thing about running is the physical reward. “You feel so good when you are done; you feel stronger, and you know not many people can do what you are doing.”

Rovel runs cross-country for TJ, but he also plays basketball and runs track as well.  He started running for TJ his sophomore year after he transferred. Dave Cohan, the track coach, and Wendy Doyle, the cross-country/track coach, both really encouraged him to run cross-country the next school year (2010). Rovel believes that Coach Cohan is the best coach he has ever had.  “He really helped support me through injury; he helped keep me going. He even made a schedule for me this summer,” stated Rovel. “At the beginning of the summer it was hard, but then my brother started riding his bike next to me; that made it a lot easier.  We normally did five to ten miles every day.”

Rovel mentions that his favorite thing about races is, well, winning.  “I like seeing the competition that will be at state. And I’m not gonna lie, winning is the greatest!  It just gives me the biggest confidence boost ever.”  Rovel’s least favorite thing about running is, of course, losing “I don’t like it when I lose and get second or third or something, because you are just so close.”  In Rovel’s mind losing is getting second or third. He announces, “I have a big ego so it bothers me to lose, because it destroys my reputation.”  Rovel notes that destroying his good image as a runner is his biggest fear. He says that his biggest competitors in Denver Public schools are Jesus from John F. Kennedy and Brandon from Abraham Lincoln.  Rovel insists that his junior year was the hardest for him to beat these boys. “I was not nearly as motivated that year.  Over the summer I did not run all that much and it really hurt me later.”

Rovel is a huge supporter of both of his running sports, but he is indecisive when it comes to favorites. “I like cross-country because of the community. It’s like a family; you are with the same people every day. Track has faster races, though.” He then goes on to say, “Cross country, it makes you tired in class, but I try not to sleep in class.”

Rovel says his other interests besides running are playing basketball, playing video games, and community service at the library. Rovel also mentioned, “I have climbed two mountains this year, with my best friend and my brother. We climbed Mt. Evans and Mt. Elbert.  They were both fourteen thousand feet…climbing is good cross training for me.  It uses other muscles that I am not used to, but will help me in the end.”

Rovel said that he really is ready for college now, thanks to some special help he received.  “My favorite thing about Thomas Jefferson is Ms. Rocha in the future center.  She is helping me find a lot of scholarships. My dream school?  If it could be anything, Oregon State.  If not Oregon State then Colorado State University, because it is closer to home.” He also says he has lots of friends at TJ like Jamal Sheilds and Abraham Waldo. “I also hang out with college people; there is a lot more mixture and they get me in to everything.”

Rovel mentions that he has a tendency of telling people what to do. That belief proved true, when he requested that the closing statement for this article be his own words. “I’m just a boy out of suburbia Denver and I want to leave a legacy that will stay in this school forever so that more people will be inspired to push themselves to their full potential.”

Photo by Maddi Doro

On Saturday October 30th Rovel Berhe competed in State for Cross Country at the Arapahoe Fairgrounds, and placed 64th overall out of 200 runners.

Even though Berhe qualified and almost placed in the top 25%, he still isn’t satisfied. “It was my first time in state, which was one of my goals for this season,” said Rovel,  “but I don’t feel that I accomplished my goal by placing so low.” Projecting his hopes for next season, Rovel said, “Next season, I’m definitely excited, senior year, I have to take first, senior year.” Rovel also felt that the season went very well. “All of the people on the team tried their hardest and they were all dedicated; I think that if the season started now, they would all be ready,” said Berhe.

Coach Wendy Doyle also expressed the same sense of appreciation for how the team did this year and the overall season. “I am definitely happy with it. We had a larger range of abilities and it was nice to see everyone make gains this year,” said Doyle.

Be sure to congratulate Rovel and the rest of the cross-country team on a good season.

Photo by Leanna Ramirez

On Thursday October 21st the Thomas Jefferson High School Cross Country team ran in Regionals and placed eighth overall, with one runner going to state.

“The team was very well prepared, we put a lot of good effort, and it paid off,” said Senior Logan Dodd. These sentiments and feelings were felt team wide, and the team was very happy with how the season turned out.

“I think that the team did amazing, everyone tried really hard,” stated Junior Kiera Classen.

Rovel Berhe placed 7th overall and, because of that, he qualified for state. “I already knew I was I was going to state, but I wish my team was coming with me; but I will do my best to get TJ to the top,” said Berhe. “I’m definitely ready.  We ran practice and I almost beat my best time,” commented Rovel. “I was born ready,” he said with a sly smile.

Coach Wendy Doyle also felt that the team performed up to expectations. “All runners ran extremely well. Logan Dodd set a personal record, and Rovel will be attending the state meet this Saturday at Arapahoe Fairgrounds at 10 a.m.,” she said.

Photo by Leanna Ramirez

Coach Wendy Doyle and the Thomas Jefferson Cross-Country team had two meets recently, one on SEptemberber 28th and another on the 1st of October, both with some unexpected twists.

The Horizon High School invite took place at Aldenbrook Park, and didn’t go at all according to plan. “The meet was basically one giant glorified practice. The course wasn’t properly marked, kids were running all over, including outside the park, and running the wrong way. It was a disaster,” said Doyle.

Rovel Berhe, one of the top performers on the team, despite the mishaps of the meet, still performed well. “It was crazy, because even though the meet got messed up, I still placed 1st,” said Berhe. “They didn’t organize it well; the course was pretty straight forward, but people were cutting corners.”

Despite the fact that the meet did not go according to plan, there was a silver lining: both the Boys and Girls took 3rd place overall.

On October 1st the Spartans traveled to Bear Valley Park for the Kennedy High School invite, the biggest race in Colorado. “All runners did well,” said Doyle. “But the race was more of a run; there were a lot of obstacles, so our times were slower than usual.”

“There was a lot of pushing, because there were so many people trying to get into position to place,” said Berhe. “The craziest thing was we had to jump in a river just to finish the race.” With obstacles like those, the times, as Doyle said, slowed down.

Although the Cross-Country team faced some difficult obstacles, they pulled through, and even managed to get a top three finish out it.
Be sure to go support the Cross-Country team:

September 3rd Horizon High School Invite @ Adams County Fair Grounds
September 8th South High School Invite @ Wash Park
September 18th East High School Invite @ Ruby Hill Park
September 23rd George Washington High School Invite @ Bible Park
September 28th Horizon High School Invite @ Aldenbrook Park- 3rd place
October 1st Kennedy High School Invite @ Bear Valley Park
October 9th Falcon High School Invite @ Falcon High School
October 12th Thomas Jefferson High School Invite @ Bible Park

Photo by Rebecca Holt

As the Cross Country season comes to a close, team and coach alike can breathe a sigh of relief. Ranking 9th at regional’s and 4th in the district overall, our iron-lunged Spartans can be pretty proud of themselves, because their coach sure is.

“Many of [the cross country runners] really improved their times, and many of them reached some of their personal bests,” Coach Wendy Doyle explained. “We did really well this year.”

Senior Jordan Shelton is going to state this year, but sadly, teammate Ben Makovsky won’t be joining him this year. Out of the fifteen places for the state competition, Ben ranked 16th, missing the window by only one. The state meet is scheduled to occur later this week.

With the end of this year, one can only wonder what next year will hold in store for the Cross Country team. As the seniors prepare to move on, including powerhouses like Makovsky and Shelton, their TJ running shoes will be hard to fill. Doyle, however, doesn’t seem too worried about next year. “Yeah, it’ll be tough to replace the seniors, but I have faith in the Juniors and the Sophomores,” said Doyle.

Ben Makovsky in a race for City. photo by Rebecca Holt

With a new season for the Cross Country team comes a new coach: math teacher Wendy Doyle. Taking the reigns from Brett Butera, Ms. Doyle has high hopes for the upcoming season. “I’d love to see each one of them qualify for regionals, and I hope to see some of them go to State,” said a smiling Doyle.

The Cross Country team is small at the moment and only has a few runners, but the team, according to Doyle, is “looking really good” and is “coachable” with “hard workers.” With returning champ Ben Makovsky, and returning runners such as Logan Dodd, Keith Hussey, Peter Taylor, and Jordan Shelton, the team is steadily getting better and better. “I’d like to see them set goals for themselves, and then meet those goals,” said Doyle. With a team full of experienced runners, this seems like an obtainable goal. “If the guys do well, they’ll set the tone for next year,” said Doyle.

Ben Makovsky, who went to State last year, has some goals of his own. “I’d like to go to State again, and I’d like to rank in the forties rather than the sixties,” said Ben. “Oh, and I’d like to win City,” he adds with a laugh, after a slight prodding from a teammate. With a quiet confidence, and an underlying hunger, Makovsky and the rest of the Cross Country team is eager to prove themselves this season.

    The boys’ cross-country unit has provided a consistent and exciting year for the TJ faithful, with a combination of talent, leadership, and commitment spread across the roster.

     Star Junior Runner Ben Makovsky has followed his sophomore accomplishments with another incredible year for the Spartans this season.  Ben is the #1 runner on the team, after finishing #5 out of all Denver Public Schools runners last year.  At the September 13th meet at Bear Valley Park, hosted by the Kennedy Commanders, Ben won the entire race with a time of 17:36 in the 5k run.  Coach Butera described Makovsky as a gifted athlete saying, “… he can take it to the next level, and this translates into great runs.” 

    Makovsky hopes to move even farther up the ranks this year. “Last year I came in 5th place; this year I hope to at least improve to the #4 spot,” he said.

    A pleasant addition to the team in 2008-2009 was Freshman Garrett Sapakoff.  Butera describes Sapakoff as a “natural talent” who is already excelling in his initial high school cross-country season.  Sapakoff has established himself as the #2 runner on the team, and hopes to be in the position of the #1 spot in years to come.  Butera also explained that Sapakoff is always full of energy and adds a unique aspect of liveliness to the team. According to Butera, Sapakoff is willing to give it everything he has and, “…lays it all out on the line”.

    The #3 runner on the team, Peter Taylor, is another component of the TJ Cross-Country team that is vital.  Not only is Taylor a talented runner, but is also a vocal leader on the team.  Being one of the older and more experienced athletes, Taylor is continuously offering support and encouragement to his fellow Spartans.

    Sophomores Emilio Hernandez and Alex Carter are also up-and-coming runners.   Butera is ecstatic about their dedication and commitment to the team, and sees heaps of potential for the both of them in the future.

    On the ladies’ side of the track, Ally Volk leads the way for the girls’ cross country team.  Coach Butera is incredibly pleased about having Volk on the team, mainly because of her extreme love of running, describing her as a “lifestyle runner”.  Volk competed in three half marathons this past summer in Hawaii, and strives to be a marathon runner when all is said and done.  “Cross country is just a small part of a bigger picture for Ally.  She runs because she loves it,” said Butera.  Volk, being only a sophomore, is sure to bring more pride and success to the cross-country program in years to come.

    Even with the immense amount of talent and success accomplished by the squad this year, Coach Butera is not in it for the glory. “I do it because I like these kids and wanted to help them develop as a team.  It is amazing to me to watch them run as hard as they do,” he said.    

    The love on the cross-country squad isn’t just flowing from Coach Butera, it’s coming right back at him as well. “I think Coach Butera is a very good coach, especially since this is his first year.  He has set his authority well and has given great running tactics throughout the year,” said Makovsky.

As for the State Regional Meet, which is quickly nearing, Butera said that his team is feeling confident and comfortable with the location of the race.  After all, his team is especially familiar with the course at hand: Bible Park.

    The cross-country squad just raced at Bible Park, on October 7 for the DPS City Meet.  Knowing the ins and outs of the park will make this race an exciting one for the Spartans.

     “For the Regional Meet, we have the circumstances laid out for us.   We have been practicing at Bible Park quite a bit and we know the terrain well,” Butera said. “We are at an advantage, especially for me as a coach, because it is easier to give tips and suggestions in practice, rather than going into the race with no previous knowledge of the course.”

    With a sense of home-turf advantage, the TJ cross-country program heads into the October 16 regionals looking to run hard, with Coach Butera proudly watching from the sidelines. 

    Bret Butera and the Spartan Cross Country Team hosted the TJ Invitational meet at Bible Park this past Saturday.  "It went very well, but the competition was very tough," said Coach Butera. 

    Some of the best teams in the state were there, including Fountain Fort Carson and Poudre High Schools.  The varsity boys ran well and a few of them ran personal best times.  "Over all I am really proud of them, considering it was our first meet of the season," said Butera.    Junior Ben Makovsky finished 8th over all in the boys varsity race.  "I hope  run a  PR campaign as the season progresses to increase awareness about the sport of cross country and recruit more runners," said Butera.

    A complete TJ Cross Country schedule follows:

September 6th
Thomas Jefferson Invitational

September 10th
Denver South
Washington Park, Denver

September 13th
JFK Invitational

September 20th
Fountain-Fort Carson Invitational

September 27th
Summit HS Invitational

October 4th
Windjammer Invitational
Englewood HS

October 7th
DPS City Meet

October 16th
Regional Meet

October 25th
State Meet
Fort Collins

Coaches

Head Coach: Alan Lind

Assistant Coach: Brett Butera

Roster

    Bosworth, Richard           10
    DeGregori, Luke                9
    Diaz, Ryan                        10
    Fears, Karisma                  9
    Gilliland, Ben                    12
    Hernandez, Emilio            9
    Kreutter, Gabby                10
    Makovsky, Ben                 10
    McBride, Emily                 11
    Mestas, Dan                      11
    Nordlander, Matt              12
    Scarlett, Joey                    11
    Sergeant, Jessica            9
    Shirk, Stephen                 11
    Taylor, Mary Kathryn       10
    Taylor, Patrick                  11
    Taylor, Peter                     9
    Volk, Alexandra               10
    Webster, Steve                12
    Yount, Toby                      10