Wasilla runner tapped for Down Under event

WASILLA — Michael Johnston has been running competitively since the fourth grade. But it wasn’t until recently that the Wasilla sophomore figured out he just may have a future in the sport.

Johnston, who posted a third-place finish in the 2009 Region III Cross Country Championships, has been invited to Australia by Down Under Sports to compete in an athletic competition down under.

“It’s like a high school Olympics,” said Johnston, who is also a hockey standout at WHS. “You’re representing Team Alaska.”

The trip includes seven days in Australia. Participating athletes have the chance to visit Australia’s Gold Coast and see attractions such as the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary in addition to competing the Down Under Sports athletic games.

Athletes cap their journey with a three-day stay in Hawaii.

The invitation to the event does come with a cost. Johnston said he’ll have to raise about $4,900 to attend the games. He is currently working on sponsorship letters and coming up with fundraising ideas to cover the costs, which include all international and domestic airfares, taxes, sight-seeing, transfers, hotels, tour escorts, two meals a day, uniform, team photo, travel insurance, tournament fees, and entry into the parks and attractions as listed on your itinerary, according to Down Under Sports.

Those interested in sponsoring, can contact the Johnston family at huckster@mtaonline.net.

Johnston’s invitation to the games and his recent success in the sport also come as he is shifting his focus to a future in cross country running.

Johnston is a standout for both the Wasilla varsity team and the Junior Avalanche youth competitive hockey organization’s U18 AAA team. Even though he’s had success on the ice, Johnston feels the cross country trail may lead him on the best path.

“It’s a lot easier to get a scholarship with running,” Johnston said. “There’s all different types of schools. In hockey, there’s only Division I and Division III.”

Johnston said he’s decided not to play comp hockey next year. He’ll continue to play hockey for the Warriors throughout his high school career. But during the fall, he’ll focus on running.

“I’m sticking with running next year, not playing comp hockey,” Johnston said.

During the prep cross country season, Johnston said he’d typically have hockey and running practices on the same days. It wasn’t unusual for him to have a hockey game and running meet on the same day also.

“Sometimes I had cross country practice and then went straight to hockey,” Johnston said.

And despite pulling double-duty, Johnston still managed to claim third place in a highly competitive region championships as a sophomore.

Wasilla head coach Gary Howell was sometimes floored that Johnston could have that much success competing in a pair of sports that require a great deal of physical exertion at the same time.

“He was playing comp hockey games as close as an hour to when the gun would go off,” Howell said. “He’d come to the meet straight from the ice sweating. Who does that?”

Howell said he saw Johnston mature tremendously as a sophomore in the sport, and is looking forward to see what Johnston can do when he focuses on running.

“He has a lot of talent,” Howell said.

Howell also agrees with Johnston’s choice to pursue running at the college level.

“It’s probably the easiest sport coming out of Alaska,” Howell said of the sport. “A mile here is the same as a mile in Minnesota or even a mile in Kenya. It’s four laps on the track. It’s the most finite measuring tool. You don’t have to make a tape. You just have to say your mile time.”

Johnston will also compete on the Wasilla track and field team this spring.

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