Wasilla High runners are learning fast

Sept. 15, 2006

By Jeremiah Bartz/ Frontiersman

MAT-SU - When Wasilla High School cross-country running coach Gary Howell thinks about the potential of two of his runners - Jimmy Sliwa and Katie Bialka - he can't help but smile.

The runners are in two different points of their high school careers - Sliwa is a junior, while Bialka is just a freshman - but in terms of the sport, both are relatively young and loaded with raw talent.

On Wednesday Sliwa and Bialka showed some of that natural ability, winning individual titles at the Mat-Su Borough Cross-country Championships at Colony High School.

Sliwa is in his second season with the WHS cross-country squad, and Bialka's prep career is only about six weeks old. Howell said both have the capability of doing remarkable things at the prep level. A borough championship may just be a sneak peak of their future success.

Sliwa is a standout on the WHS soccer team and a member of the Warriors' varsity basketball squad. In the past, running has sort of taken a back seat to other sports.

&#8220Now its starting to become a higher priority,” Sliwa said after edging Colony's Antone Zagars by just one second for the title. &#8220This year I started realizing my potential.”

Howell said he still doesn't think Sliwa is fully aware of his potential on the cross-country running trails, but is starting to sell him on the idea of running in college. In many cases, Howell said, it's easier for a runner in Alaska to gain attention from college coaches. A time in a 5-K race is a better representation of an athlete's ability, rather than footage on a video

tape.

&#8220Four laps on a track is four laps on a track, where ever you go,” Howell said.

Sliwa said he has already taken about 40 seconds off his time from last year. And that's with limited training.

&#8220He only has about six weeks under his belt,” Howell said. &#8220He didn't run over the summer at all.”

But now, Howell compares Sliwa to a clock. In practice Howell will tell Sliwa to run 800 meters in 2 minutes and 33 seconds.

&#8220Ten in a row, with a two minute recovery in between and he can hit'em - every single one,” Howell said. &#8220And he looks at me and says, ‘can I go faster?'”

There are already times when Howell will be running next to Sliwa, and he has to struggle to keep up.

&#8220I'm wide open trying to hang onto this kid, and he's talking to me,” Howell said. &#8220He's just very talented - a strong engine.”

Sliwa opened the eyes of his opponents with a fifth-place finish at the Skyview Invitational earlier this month, a meet seen annually as the preview of the state championships.

&#8220He came out of the blue,” Howell said.

An adjustment for Sliwa, Howell said, is simply learning some of the intricacies of running competitively. Howell said Sliwa's strength is he doesn't get tired, but on the other hand, he does not yet have that next gear, that many of the runners who compete in cross-country and track do have. That was evident in boys' borough championship. Sliwa led for most of the race, but in the final 200 yards Zagars came within steps of passing Sliwa in the two-mile race.

&#8220All those Colony boys run track. They know what two miles is. Jimmy has no idea what two miles is. He knows what 5-K is,” Howell said.

Like Sliwa, Howell sees Bialka as a runner with a great possibility for success.

&#8220She has a tremendous amount of potential,” Howell said. &#8220She's one of those runners where you coach her too hard, too quick and the flame will burn out. That's something I don't want to do. I want to make sure it's always fun for her.”

Howell gave Bialka a simple strategy to use in the race - stay close to Colony standout Johanna Doner and then make a move - and the idea produced results.

&#8220She's been running a lot of races, and I haven't really gotten my pace yet,” Bialka said. &#8220He told me to set my pace off her, and not pass her until the end.”

So Bialka stayed just behind Doner for about the first mile of the race before making her move.

&#8220I think Katie's a stronger two-mile runner than Johanna. What we wanted to do was park her behind Johanna and let the pace be slower than what Katie would probably run,” Howell said. &#8220I know Johanna's really strong in the third mile, and that's why she keeps dropping Katie in those 5-K's. Johanna's a tremendous 5-K runner, but does not have those youthful wheels Katie does.”

Bialka said she has been running competitively since the sixth grade.

&#8220I started to get in shape for basketball, and found out I'm kind of good,” Bialka said.

The Borough championship is her first win in a high school race.

Earlier this month, Bialka finished seventh at the Palmer Invitational.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.