Festival of Miles: Track Meet to Benefit Injured Athletes Ben Rosario May 13, 2009


Never are tragic accidents more shocking than when they happen to young athletes in peak physical condition. Two such athletes, Brigette Schutzman and Mike Rathmann, will be honored at Saint Louis University High School on May 23rd at a benefit track meet that will feature two hours of crowd-pleasing races, including the Fox Architects Celebrity 100 meter dash and the St. Louis Track Club Men’s Elite Mile.

Big River 2009 Track and Field Preview Ben Rosario Mar 17, 2009


Out with the old and in with the new. If this track preview were a prom and we needed a theme that would certainly be it. Missouri lost some of its best athletes in State history to graduation last spring and in 2009 it is time for those who sat patiently in the shadows of Alishea Usery, Maurice Mitchell and others to step up and deliver more of the jaw-dropping national-level performances we have become accustomed to over the last few years.

Big River 2008 State XC Preview Ben Rosario Nov 06, 2008


The 2008 Missouri State Cross Country Championships are only two days away and this year's meet features some big storylines including the possibilty of course records, a very tight battle for the Class 4 Boys Team title, and then there is the predicted cold weather which could mean hard ground and fast times in Jefferson City. We have listed our top ten things to watch for on Saturday. If you are a fan of running at any level we encourage you to make the trip to our State's Capitol to watch an exciting day of racing. For our money there is no better atmosphere in high school athletics than a State cross country meet. Enjoy!!

2008 Big River XC Rankings #3 Ben Rosario Oct 28, 2008


#1) LEE'S SUMMIT WEST – The Titans remain at #1 after wins at KC Metro, Conference and Districts. At full strength their spread is well under a minute and that is with a front runner who happens to be one of the best individuals in the State.

Where are they now? Ben Rosario Jun 19, 2008

Big River Interview with Parkway South standout Sarah Haskins


This summer will be marked with the thrill and pageantry of the Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Thousands of the best athletes in the world will gather in one place at one time to showcase themselves, their sports and most importantly their countries. If all goes well this Sunday one of those athletes will be native St. Louisan Sarah Haskins, a Parkway South grad, a former Missouri State cross country champ and one of the best triathletes in the world. Big River caught up with Haskins as she packed for a trip to Des Moines, Iowa where her Olympic fate will be determined at the Hy-Vee Triathlon this weekend.

click header for the rest of the story....

Big River 2007 Final Season Ranking Ben Rosario Nov 07, 2007

TOP 10 GIRLS TEAMS

#1) LEE'S SUMMIT WEST – The Class 4 State Champs beat a very good field in dominating fashion. Five runners in the top 36 is a very difficult feat with the depth in Class 4. They ran an absolutely perfect race.

#2) EUREKA - Boy did we get this one wrong. The Wildcats leaped from honorable mention to #2 after their second place performance at State in Class 4. This team has looked very strong at times this season and a little bit off other times. They were on when it counted, running their best race of the year in Jefferson City....

TOP 10 BOYS TEAMS

#1) SLUH – It was a close battle but the Junior Bills continued their undefeated season with a win in Class 4 over Parkway West. In the end it was SLUH's tight spread (34 seconds) that got the job done once again. It is on to Regionals for this squad where they will attempt to become the second straight Missouri team to run at Nike Team Nationals.

#2) PARKWAY WEST - Parkway West proved that they belonged in the discussion for top honors with a valiant second place effot in Class 4. Only five points separated them from the Title in a race that realy could have gone either way....

TOP 15 GIRLS

#1) Diane Robison, SO, Parkway Central – State Champ in Class 4 to no one's surprise. Robison is the real deal and if she continues to get better as she has seemed to do with each passing week she could leave Missouri with more than a few State Titles between cross country and track.

#2) Natalie Todd, JR, Ladue – State Champ in Class 3, Todd ran 19:05 to add to her season-long list of great races....

TOP 15 BOYS

#1) Eric Fernandez, SR, Parkway West – Undefeated. State Champ. One of the fastest times in the history of the State course. All these things are impressive but the truly amazing thing is the manner in which he controlled a 168 runner field, basically making everyone run his race and in the end doing exactly what he set out to do; WIN.

#2) Rick Elliot, SR, Kickapoo – Elliot was the runner-up in Class 4 and he was the only harrier who tried to hang with Fernandez's blistering pace in mile 2. His brave front-running tactics could make him a contender at Foot Locker Regionals....

Read in for full list...

Big River Rankings #6 - State Predictions Ben Rosario Oct 31, 2007

BIG RIVER RANKINGS #6

TEAM RANKINGS

TOP 10 GIRLS TEAMS

#1) JEFFERSON CITY – Sectional Champs. Their spread has been incredible all year long. All they need to do this Saturday is more of the same. State Prediction: 1st, Class 4

#2) WEST PLAINS - The Zizzers were District Champs in commanding fashion. State Prediction: 1st, Class 3....

TOP 10 BOYS TEAMS

#1) SLUH – Sectional Champs. Held out #3 man Austin Cookson. Throw him in and they have another 20 second spread. State Prediction: 1st, Class 4

#2) PARKWAY WEST - Sectional Champs. These guys are the one team that it seems could overtake SLUH if things fall in their favor. They now look like they might even have a better 1-2-3 punch than Francis Howell North. State Prediction: 2nd, Class 4.

#3) WEST PLAINS – District Champs. This team is very good and would likely challenge for the Class 4 title if they were to go up against SLUH and Parkway West. State Prediction: 1st, Class 3....

Big River Rankings #4 Ben Rosario Oct 09, 2007

TEAM RANKINGS

TOP 10 GIRLS TEAMS

#1) JEFFERSON CITY – Huge win at Rim Rock further cements their position at number one. The Lady Jays put their top five within 11 seconds of one another. Should they duplicate that feat at State it seems unlikely that they could get beat. Also won the Helias Invite in week 6.

#2) WEST PLAINS - The Zizzers are approaching Jefferson City with a 49 second spread at Cape Notre Dame and some impressive times and then a nice win at conference over rival Kickapoo. Their potential to get stronger lies in the capable hands of two-time defending State Champ Brittani Johnson who has now moved up to number one on her squad and has improved each week since returning from injury....

Big River Rankings #3 Ben Rosario Sep 24, 2007

TEAM RANKINGS

TOP 10 GIRLS TEAMS

#1) JEFFERSON CITY – Another impressive win, this time at the Paul Enke Invite, cements them at number one. They did all the things we look for in the rankings; beat other good teams, had a strong frontrunner, and a great 1-5 spread. They did it again at Springfield, scoring a mere 21 points against a pretty darn good Kickapoo squad.

#2) WEST PLAINS - The Zizzers scored only 94 points at the Southern Stampede, a meet with 36 teams and 392 runners. That is impressive. And did you notice that 2-time defending State Champ Brittani Johnson was back!

#3) CAPE CENTRAL – A hugely impressive win at Hancock followed up a win at their home meet in week three. Looking at the numbers they look very similar to West Plains so they may climb even higher by year's end.

#4) ROCKWOOD SUMMIT – Look out for the Falcons. They avenged an earlier defeat at the hands of Ste Gen with their second place showing at Paul Enke. That was with last year's State 12th placer Kelsey Rich. Without Rich they were second at Hancock so it is tought to tell where they belong but we'll keep them at fourth for now....

Big River Feature Interview: Eric Fernandez Ben Rosario Sep 19, 2007

Big River Running Company co-owner Ben Rosario is now writing cross country and track articles for St. Louis Scoop Magazine. You can read his articles in the magazine as well. Ben caught up with Eric right before the start of his senior cross country season where Fernandez will try to add a cross country title to the State track title he won this past spring.

The indelible image of Tiger Woods hugging his father after his first victory at The Masters is one etched in the laurels of American sport. Seeing that special bond between father and son, forged through a common passion and captured live in front of millions gave hope to the notion that sports, kids and parents can co-exist. Not always is it the negative stereotype of the over-bearing dad yelling at the umpire in a little league baseball game. Sometimes it is something much greater, something that maybe only that dad and that son that have that in their lives can understand.

Parkway West senior Eric Fernandez is an amazing athlete. He is already a State Champion, having won the Class 4 3200 meter run last spring. His training regimen is difficult and his searing workout pace has been known to drop many a college runner over the summer. Not everyone can even comprehend how fast Fernandez can go. They just can not relate. His dad can though....

Read full article here

Big River Rankings #2 Ben Rosario Sep 13, 2007

TEAM RANKINGS

TOP 10 GIRLS TEAMS

#1) JEFFERSON CITY - A 31 point performance at the Missouri XC Challenge vaults this squad to #1. Their 1-5 spread was an amazing 11 seconds! Plus, they topped #4 West Plains at their own Capital City Classic in week one....

2007 Forest Park XC Festival Meet Preview Ben Rosario Sep 06, 2007

The 2007 edition of the Forest Park Cross Country Festival promises to be one of the largest and most competitive meets in the entireMidwest . Returning team champions Potosi (boys) and Columbia Rock Bridge (girls) will try to defend their titles against more than 30 of the toughest teams in the area....

Read full article here

Big River Feature Interview: Hilary Orf Ben Rosario Sep 06, 2007

\"\"Big River Running Company co-owner Ben Rosario is now writing cross country and track articles for St. Louis Scoop Magazine. You can read his articles in the magazine as well. Ben caught up with Hilary before this year's Forest Park Cross Country Festival to talk about coming back from an injury and her chances to defend her State Cross Country Title....

Read full interview here

Big River Feature Interview: Nick Happe, Matt Schwab, Nate Shipley Ben Rosario Sep 05, 2007

\"\"
Big River Running Company co-owner Ben Rosario is now writing cross country and track articles for St. Louis Scoop Magazine. You can read his articles in the magazine as well. Ben caught up with the Francis Howell North trio of Nick Happe, Matt Schwab and Nate Shipley before the cross country season to talk about the team at FHN and what it's like to have such a great group of frontrunners.

Read full interview here

Big River Feature Interview: Lajada Baldwin Ben Rosario Aug 06, 2007

Lajada BaldwinBig River Running Company co-owner Ben Rosario is now writing cross country and track articles for St. Louis Scoop Magazine. You can read his articles in the magazine as well. Ben caught up with Lajada before the AAU Junior Olympics in Knoxville, TN. What follows is one of several features Ben will be doing in the upcoming months. For your information Lajada went on to finish second at AAU's, running an outstanding 53.50 seconds in the finals of the 400 meter dash. She was also part of the St. Louis Blues' winning 4x400 meter relay team.

Watch Lajada in the 400 at State HERE.

Watch Lajada in the 200 at State HERE.

Sometimes in high school sports there are those athletes, those once-a-decade types of athletes, who cast a large shadow over even their nearest competitors....

Big River Feature Interview: Kyle Rood Ben Rosario Aug 06, 2007

Kyle RoodBig River Running Company co-owner Ben Rosario is now writing cross country and track articles for St. Louis Scoop Magazine. You can read his articles in the magazine as well. Ben caught up with Kyle this summer as he was putting in some base miles before his freshman year at the University of Missouri.

Watch Kyle's 1600 victory HERE.

Watch Kyle's 800 victory HERE.

 

Do you know that kid? The one you went to high school with who was a great student, an unbelievable athlete and just a really nice person. The kid who you were proud to say, “I know him.” Meet Fort Zumwalt South senior Kyle Rood. He's that kid....

2007 State Meet Track Preview Ben Rosario May 21, 2007

Say what you will about the Missouri State Track and Field Championship qualifying system but in the end the very top athletes who have been fortunate enough to stay healthy through the grind of the season are heading to Jefferson City....

Big River Feature Interview: Brandon Funderburk, Ryan Moore, and Kyle Rood Ben Rosario May 10, 2007

There are three weeks to go in the Missouri High School Track Season and that means we are three weeks away from the end of an era in St. Louis and State-wide distance running with the impending graduation of the fearsome foursome from Fort Zumwalt South High School; Pat Cole, Brandon Funderburk, Ryan Moore and Kyle Rood. We interviewed Cole earlier in the season and then caught up with the other three two days before Districts to talk about the State Championship season, Nike Outdoor Nationals and their outstanding high school careers....

Big River Feature Interview: Pat Cole Ben Rosario Apr 06, 2007

Pat ColePart One of a Four-Part series

Fort Zumwalt South senior Pat Cole is one member of the fearsome foursome that has turned the Bulldogs into the dominant distance powerhouse in Missouri Class 4 competition for the past few years. Cole and teammates Kyle Rood, Brandon Funderburk and Ryan Moore helped Zumwalt South capture back-to-back State Cross Country titles in 2005 and 2006 and all four will be key cogs in Zumwalt's bid for a State Track Title this spring. Cole himself is a two-time All-State perfomer in cross country and was a part of Zumwalt's seventh place 3200 meter relay squad at the 2006 State Track Meet. Big River caught up with Pat after a low-key meet at Fort Zumwalt West where he ran the 3200 meter relay and the 3200 meter run....