Winfield cross country girls learn belief in themselves
The blank looks that Torey Keller was receiving, you would have thought he had told his Winfield cross country runners something unbelievable.
And to the girls team, which Keller had just promised to take to the state meet in his first season as its coach, maybe it was far-fetched.
"It was a long shot," sophomore Caitlyn Dougherty recalled. "I thought when he said that, he was just pulling our leg, maybe that was just his sense of humor. I don't think any of us thought for one second we could do it."
But Keller, who had coached at Oxford for 21 seasons, made them believers. He earned their trust and made them believe in themselves. The result was the school's first regional title since 1995 and a fourth-place Class 4A finish.
Now the Vikings are setting goals for their season, which begins Tuesday at the Clearwater Invitational, that would have been laughed at a year ago.
"It was really about getting them to believe they could raise their level of performance," Keller said. "Before I got there, they were just happy to go run their race and go home. I was more about reaching their potential and challenging themselves."
Keller deflects the credit for the sudden turnaround; he points to a talented string of runners that entered the program last season in Dougherty, McKenzie Thiel, Gabby Birdwell and Karrie McNutt.
But to veterans like senior Kelsey Buffum, someone who had been around the program, the difference was Keller. Before him, they hoped they could be good runners. He made them believe they were.
"If you don't have any confidence that you can do it, if you don't believe in yourself, then how can you expect to actually do it," Buffum said. "He gave us that confidence in ourselves."
Winfield has succeeded without a top-end runner. Keller has installed a pack mentality, which the group has thrived on. With five returners from last season and the addition of freshmen Taylor Spencer, Madison Pollock, Courtney Griffiths and Taylor Reeves, the Vikings figure to be even better than last year.
The looks have changed when Keller talks about state now.
"It's funny how much can change in a year," Birdwell said. "Now we believe we can do it. Now when I'm in a race, I know I can do it because I did it last year."