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
The following was published in Wootton's Common Sense newspaper as an installment of my Varsity Letter sports column. When not typing up a “Varsity Letter” sports column or making edits for Common Sense as an editor-in-chief, I am usually lacing up my Hoka running shoes and training with this school’s cross country and track teams. … Continue reading Varsity Letter: Post-race q’s give unique view
The 2018 cross country season promises to be one of the most exciting that Montgomery County has ever seen, and for one reason- every title, whether boy or girl, individual or team, is up for grabs. With the graduation of four of Walter Johnson’s varsity girls from last year, WJ’s reign atop the county may … Continue reading Montgomery County gearing up for thrilling XC season
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
Note : The following column was published in Wootton's Common Sense newspaper. October 21, 2017 was one of the greatest days in the history of Patriot cross country. On that date, our team competed in the Montgomery County Championships at Gaithersburg High School, racing against other schools from the county. With the temperatures in … Continue reading Varsity Letter: Patriot XC Needs You!
The following column was published in Wootton's Common Sense newspaper. Some things never go away. Take nerves, a sensation that every athlete knows and deals with regularly. After three years of running for the varsity cross country and track teams, I thought I would have grown impervious to pre-race nerves. I remember the half-hour … Continue reading Varsity Letter: Overcoming Nerves
The following column was published in Wootton's Common Sense newspaper. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Charles Dickens may not have been a high school student athlete, but his iconic words ring true in the fields and courts of our school’s sports teams. Being a student-athlete here is … Continue reading Varsity Letter: Best and Worst Parts of Being a Student-Athlete
The following column was published in Wootton's Common Sense newspaper. Communication is essential to any sports team. But to the occasional spectator, the athletes on the field may appear to be speaking a foreign language. From playcalls to formations to moves to gear, the language of our sports teams is so strange and confusing … Continue reading Varsity Letter: Varsity Vernacular
As a competitive distance runner, I train year-round, taking off only two two-week breaks the whole year. But amidst all of that training, I haven’t outgrown my love for playing sports like basketball and flag football. Not only are sports a fantastic opportunity to exercise, but they’re also immensely enjoyable to play, whether by yourself … Continue reading Which sports are the most fun to play?
Riker's Block 