Disclaimer: "Potty" words are mentioned.
Six total toilets:
>Parkway Quad
>Stan Nelson Invitational
>Paul Enke Invitational [Sioux Passage]
>Dale Shepherd Invitational
>Patriots/Statesmen...
After receiving a diagnosis in the eighth grade, senior Zina Alshekhlee works to recover from major surgery to help better her scoliosis.
At first, it had little impact on Alshekhlee's life; however,...
High schoolers from all over the state stepped foot on Northwest High School’s 5k course to compete in the Stan Nelson Invitational. Freshman Brenden Porter finished first amongst the 73 freshmen boys...
After three months of preparation and running more than 500 miles during the off-season, senior Ryan Caton is one of many spring athletes seeing their final season slip away due to the COVID-19 pandemic....
![“I do cross country; I get a shirt [for running five hundred miles over the summer] and running those miles improves your endurance. I didn't think of the five hundred miles as, ‘I have to run five hundred miles.’ I [have the mindset that], six days a week, I have to run. [I] started [running] about four to five miles a day and was able to build up over the course of the summer. It's just that I had my goal; I wanted to be on varsity. I wanted to get the red legs this season, so I had my goal in mind. Red legs are a new set of warmups made up of a nicer jacket, thin hoodie, and red sweatpants, given to anyone who runs sub-18:15 in the 5k [race]. They have been a goal since I joined [the sport in] sophomore year. They are often a mark of being on varsity as well and can make you feel like you made it. I guess the same thing is true for motivating myself for school; I have my goal of keeping up my grades. Stay involved with something because it's good to have multiple [hobbies] going on. Make sure to decide what you want your focus to be. You can be involved in multiple things, but, if you want to focus on sports and school, make sure to keep it balanced. Enjoy your high school years. Have some passion in what you do.” - Ryan Smith, 12](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/488ACA7C-8DD7-4712-A89E-2DEAE7DACC49-1200x800.jpeg)
![Holding her nose, senior Kennedy Whitaker peeks out of a porta-potty. Porta-potties were created to save time as temporary toilets — perfect for cross country meets. “They are very [beneficial] for my running because they allow me to feel good and not have to go to the bathroom when I run,” Whitaker said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_3943-900x633.jpeg)
![Right foot in and arms wrapping around her teammates, freshman Hayden Oakley mentally prepares to race. Oakley ran in the freshman race in the Stan Nelson Invitational at the Northwest Early Childhood Center, Sept. 10. “Before [the race,] I was a little nervous because it was only the second [meet,] it was bigger, and there were a lot of people there. When we went into the huddle, that helped motivate and calm me down. [Also,] it was nice because it just made me feel more confident about the race,” Oakley said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Hayden-Oakley-900x600.jpg)
![Freshman Brenden Porter relaxes after competing in the Stan Nelson Invitational Saturday, Sept. 11. “I was proud of myself for doing a good job. Also, [I have] respect for all the other [runners], because it’s definitely not an easy thing to do,” Porter said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/porterfin.jpg)
![Sprinting toward the finish line, senior Ryan Caton races at the Missouri Sectionals meet at Parkway Central High School Nov. 2, which was one of the last cross country races of his career. He finished the race in 14th place and qualified for state the following week. “My teammates [were] everything. Nobody was motivated for themselves; everyone was motivated for the whole team, and that is something I can’t thank them enough for,” Caton said. “I felt very happy that I was able to end my season at state. Not very many people were able to do that.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/unnamed-1.png)
![Running past spectators, junior Emily Sipp conquers hills at Parkway Central on Nov. 2. The team placed fifth out of eight teams competing at the meet. “I think there were some rough moments during the race,” Sipp said. “A rough moment for me means to get nervous. I start to panic and I breathe really hard. When it has passed, something clicks in my head, and I have this sense of relief. Overall, it was a good race. I had a good finish [and] placed top 30.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/DSC_0318-copy-900x600.jpg)
![With 14 years of experience, junior Dorothy Wunderlich pitches the softball to her opponent. During the season, Wunderlich’s bone hit against her hip labrum and re-tore the muscle. “I played the entire season and had surgery the Tuesday after [the last game]. Loving the sport keeps me going [through the injuries]; I would love to play softball in college,” Wunderlinch said. “I love my teammates, and they are really supportive about me being injured.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/quinn-berry-900x600.jpg)