6 THE MOUNT

Sports

The Trail They Blazed

In His Shoes: The Trials of Andrew KarstromElliot Prusa | Staff Writer

He never knew he had it in him. “I just wanted to go out and see what I could do,” senior Andrew Karstrom said. This year, Karstrom emerged one of the top runners for the Knights Cross Country team. However, it is not by accident that Karstrom finds himself in the position he is today. It was the first day of the 2011-2012 school year and the 3:24 bell sounded. Karstrom laced up his new pair of neon-accented ASICS running shoes, in preparation for one of his very first cross country practices. “I made it 5 miles. It was really tough, but the team camaraderie got me to stick with it,” Karstrom said. In fact, a teammate was a major reason Karstrom even joined the team. “Three days before the season started, Hunter Hottovy told me I should run cross country, I thought about it and said what the heck? I’ll give it a shot.” Shortly after his spur of the moment go at Cross Country, Karstrom found a talent he never knew he had. In only his second race Karstrom finished 8th overall in a JV meet. “I had no idea I would be any good, I was just doing it to get into shape. It wasn’t until after Coach Gathje gave me the MAN award for my run at the Wahoo Invite, that I realized I could run,” Karstrom said. After his success at the Wahoo Invite, Karstrom committed to taking his training regimen to the next level. “I

would always strive to keep up with the guys that were faster than me. I wasn’t going to back down from them and we constantly challenged one another ever day,” he said. Senior runner Hunter Hottovy said, “When you run with Andrew, you know he is always going give one hundred and ten percent. He is the one setting the pace.” As a result of all the hard work, Karstrom was called up to the varsity squad after senior Lukas Buehler came down with an illness. “He shocked everyone at the course that day when he went out and finished 10th in his first varsity meet,” Hottovy said. Karstrom made a name for himself in the cross country community. Karstrom was an alternate for the Knights at the state meet in Kearney, in which the Knights came in second place

as a team last year. After the 2011 season was finished, most runners began to relax and unwind. Not Karstrom, he began working at Bike

Masters Cycling shop and started a rigorous training regimen of cycling and weight lifting. “Last off season I was on my bike every day, I usually went for a 20 mile bike ride; otherwise I would bike for 8 miles from my house to the shop and back. On top of that I lifted every day after school,” Karstrom said. In the spring, he joined the Mount Michael Track and Field team for the very first time where he continued to impress, finishing 10th in the 3200 meter dash at the state meet in

Omaha. This summer, Karstrom continued to put in many hours of training, logging over 300 miles of running alone as well

as racing competitively in various runs and bicycle races. So when it came time for the 2012 Cross Country season to start, Karstrom was already in mid-season form. “Coach Gathje just told me if I put in the miles in the off season, I would see the results come race day,” Karstrom said. Come race day, those results came. Karstrom became a force for the Knights, finishing in the top 3 overall in 8 out of his 10 races, winning two of them. But why did Karstrom put in the work that so many thought to be too difficult? “I just loved to run. When I get my heart pumping and the endorphins start flowing I am on cloud nine. Racing became my addiction. The feeling I get from pushing myself and enduring the pain and agony is just intoxicating,” Karstrom said. Today, Karstrom and his teammates carry gold medals around their necks, signifying their class B state championship. Despite all his accomplishments, Karstrom still has that chip on his shoulder. “I always want to be the best runner I can be. I want to earn it every single day,” Karstrom said. It’s the first school day after the Cross Country State Championship and the 3:24 bell sounds. Karstrom laces up an old pair of shoes; the same shoes that he began his journey with only a short year ago. The neon-accents are faded, the tread has vanished from the hundreds of miles of training. Karstrom begins his run, still having something to prove.

Wahoo Invite1st Place

Waverly Invite1st Place

Syracuse Invite1st Place

Centennial Conference1st Place

The Knights finished the season winning the 2012 Class B State title at Kearney!

graphic by Michael Budler

Plattsmouth Invite1st Place

Bennington Districts1st Place

Andrew Karstrom runs at the Elkhorn cross country meet.

photo by YoonHo Kim