Cross country races are awesome. Each one is unique, with different terrains, competitors, and challenges. They also maximize the team aspect of distance running and combine individual and team strategy as well as training and talent to make for incredible races. Sadly, I am now one month removed from my high school cross country career, … Continue reading Ranking my best cross country races of high school
Distance running may be an individual discipline, but there’s no arguing against cross country is a team sport. The best XC teams at any level not only have strong top runners, but have depth among their other varsity athletes that allows them to close gaps and finish with miniscule point totals. This concept of an … Continue reading Building the ultimate movie character cross country squad
The following is my cross country speech for our year-end banquet. Enjoy! Hey guys, my name is John Riker. I want to start off by giving thanks to God for giving me the gift to run, to my caring coaches, to my supportive teammates, to my awesome family, and to the entire Wootton XC community. … Continue reading Speech: My Cross Country Story
The following is the story of my county championship race my junior year, which also stands as my current 5K personal record and possibly the best tactical race of my career. Counties gave us a perfect opportunity to make a statement. We were total underdogs, as all of the media outlets covering our county as … Continue reading Excerpt: A fight to the finish
Around the 12th inning of last night’s (and morning’s) NL Wild Card game between the Chicago Cubs and the Colorado Rockies, I came upon the realization that for one team, the result of this marathon of a baseball game was going to absolutely stink. Of course, it didn’t cross my mind that the loser would … Continue reading Rox rock Cubs in thrilling and lengthy NL Wild Card battle
The following is a write-up of my week-long service trip in Romania earlier this summer. I went on this missions trip with my church youth group and worked through an organization called RCE. Enjoy! Days 1 and 2- Friday and Saturday My first adventure outside the states commenced with an impossibly long, mind-twisting day of … Continue reading Romania: a Transformational Mission
Ever since he entered the NBA as a fresh-faced phenom, the lights have shined brightly on LeBron James. He’s been nothing short of one of the sport’s greatest players, if not one of the greatest athletes in any sport. What he has done in his career is truly astounding, with eight straight NBA Finals appearances, … Continue reading West Coast King: LeBron Heads to LA
Note: This is a spoiler-free review. I’ve been waiting for an Incredibles sequel for ages and my expectations once I heard that a sequel was in the works were incredibly high. Back in February, I wrote that “to succeed, Incredibles 2 must be as bold, dramatic, and heroic as the first.” After watching it on … Continue reading Incredibles 2 proves to be a super sequel
I’m really excited for my senior season of cross country, and one of the parts I’m most eagerly anticipating is serving the Wootton Patriots team as a captain. While this position is a huge responsibility, I’m thankful to have had stellar examples of captains in my first three years on the team that are sure … Continue reading O Captain! My Captain! Remembering the excellent XC captains of the past
The following is the story of my regionals 1600 race, the first time I qualified for the state track championships. My next focus was on preparing for regionals, where I could punch my first-ever ticket to states. The meet was spread over two days at Quince Orchard High School, but the mixed results from … Continue reading Excerpt: States or bust
Riker's Block 