Ream Finishes 9th at Indoor States
- 25 February 2009
At the start of the 2008-09 indoor track & field season, EHS senior Katie Ream had but one goal on her mind. That was to take it back to Penn State University for a second chance at competing at the indoor state track & field championships. The qualification came early as she cleared the required height of 5 feet 2 inches in a meet at F&M College back in December.This past Saturday, Ream took her "big meet" experience and put it to the test, right where she left off last winter and spring after finishing 11th at PSU (and then coming back in the spring to finish 5th at Shippensburg) in track & fields premier meets. Easily clearing the bar at 4-10, Ream had one miss at each of the next two heights but came back on her second try at both 5-feet and 5-feet-2 to nail down solid jumps for a chance to compete for a coveted state indoor medal.
The outcome was a bit nerve raking for those faithful from Ephrata who made the trip to PSU. After a clear miss on her first attempt at 5-4, her next two attempts were solid jumps with just a tip of the bar knocking it to the floor. While the disappointment of finishing 9th overall (top 8 medal) was apparent, Ream showed her passion for the event she competes, and accepted the consequences of her finish place with complete grace and pride. "I know that we wanted 5-4 going in" remarked head coach John Keller, "but Katie has grown and understands what has to be done, when you get to this level, the high jump is as much mental as anything, I was very proud of her actions and supportiveness of the other athletes, that to me goes a long way in determining what kind of future this girl has. Most athletes never get the opportunity to compete at the state level; this was Katie's third experience, she should be very proud of her accomplishments."
Ream now has a week off before she starts the final trek of a very solid and rewarding track & field career at Ephrata. The outdoor season begins on Monday, March 2, and it should come to no ones surprise that come Memorial Day weekend, the talented high jumper from EHS will be giving it one last shot at the state championships in Shippensburg.
Saturday's indoor state champion in the high jump was freshman Taylor Morgan from Upper Dublin with a leap of 5 feet 6 inches, second was Allison Day of Bayard Rustin and third place went to Calsie Boyd from Richland, both clearing 5 feet 4 inches.
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