Bridget Nichols went on an extended hiatus from running after injuring her ankle while playing basketball in January. Because of that, Nichols wasn’t sure how strong she’d be when the cross country season began.
But through the early practices, Nichols, now a freshman at Sedona Red Rock High School, has surprised herself with her abilities.
“I was really worried that I’d be totally out of shape and wouldn’t be able to get back to where I was before,” Nichols said. “But I think I’m already better than I was last season before I hurt my ankle.”
While she’s in her first year of high school, Nichols has just as much [if not more] experience in cross country than many of her Scorpions teammates. She’s in her fourth year in the sport, having run cross country since she was in sixth grade. Nichols gave a lot of credit to the coach for her success, Ben Scamihorn — who’s in his first year as both a teacher and coach at SRRHS. She is also upbeat that Scamihorn has the program headed in the right direction. That has Nichols optimistic about not just herself, but the team.
“The coach is really good this year,” she said. “He’s been getting us a lot better. The team is really nice, it’s actually double the size that it was last year. There’s a lot of good people on the team.”
Over the course of the season, Nichols hopes to have her personal record down to an even 21 minutes. That would be a significant drop of her current P.R. of 24 minutes.
Nichols readily acknowledged that dropping three minutes is an ambitious goal. She believed that doing so will require not only a better physical prowess, but also an improved mental outlook.
“I need to work really hard and have a good mindset,” Nichols said. “A good mental game is the key to doing well in running. You do need a lot of training, of course. But it’s all mental. I need to learn to have a better mindset.”
Being a freshman with experience puts Nichols in something of a unique spot. She’s not starting from scratch. But unlike many runners with comparable experience, Nichols has ample time to improve.
With the regular season upon us, Scamihorn is excited about the potential in his freshman runner for the 2019 season, as well as the three seasons that will follow.
“I’m really excited because I know that she has a background in running,” Scamihorn said. “She’s super willing to work hard every day. I really think that the sky’s the limit for her.”
Michael Dixon can be reached at 282-7795, ext. 131, or email to mdixon@larsonnewspapers.com
