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the Homer Horizon | November 9, 2017 | 39
fastbreak
Alumni Spotlight
Beaumont finds place in Ouachita pack
1st and 3
22nd Century Media
File Photo
Lockport girls
cross country
competes at state
1. Running as a pack
The Porters girls
cross country team
finished 23rd on
Saturday, Nov. 4, at
state competition
at Detweiller Park
in Peoria. The team
once again utilized
its strategy of running
as a pack to push
each other along.
2. Leading the group
Sophomore Ola
Skibicki was the
top runner for the
Lockport girls at
state, clocking
in with a time of
18:26.
3. A close bunch
The next four
LTHS runners
after Skibicki were
within 11 seconds
of her, with Abbey
Kozak at 18:28,
Kate Wojcikiewicz a
second later, Anna
Kozak at 18:34 and
Madison Polinski at
18:37.
Brittany Kapa
Contributing Editor
Jorie Beaumont has embarked
on a new adventure.
Beaumont, a former
member of Lockport Township
High School’s girls
cross country team, wanted
to find a college that was
both Christian-based and
offered a degree in nutrition
that was far away from
home.
“I love adventuring, and
I love traveling,” Beaumont
said. “I haven’t gotten a big
opportunity to do that so far
in my life. So, my parents
said that if I got an opportunity
to go somewhere far,
and it worked out, that I
could go.”
During her search for
colleges, Beaumont came
across Ouachita Baptist
University, located in Arkadelphia,
Arkansas, and
while there was no track
team, they did have a small
cross country team. She
went on a campus visit and
fell in love. Ouachita has
a river running through it,
lots of trees everywhere and
a plethora of camping and
hiking spots. They also offered
a nutrition degree. It
marked all of her requirements
for a college, and the
fact the university was in
another state was appealing
to Beaumont’s sense of adventure.
Just as important to Beaumont
was the type of team
she would be on, and she
liked that the other women
were religious and that
coach Steve Bostick was
supportive.
“I really wanted a coach
that would be super supportive
and just really encouraging,”
Beaumont said
about her final criteria for
a college. “[Bostick’s] focus
is more on the team and
having fun but also working
really hard.”
This is Bostick’s second
year coaching the cross
country team at the school,
and he does double duty
by coaching the women’s
swimming team, as well.
“I also coach swimming,
and on swimming, I have
about 45 kids,” Bostick
said. “So, to drop down to
six to 10 girls, you really
kind of get to know them
better. It’s not just about
athletics; we’re trying to
help these young women
become young adults. It just
gives you more of that oneon-one
time to spend with
them and help them through
college and all the stressors
that come with growing
up.”
Even though the team is
smaller — only 11 women
are listed on the roster for
the 2017 season — that
smaller number appealed to
Beaumont.
Bostick is trying to build
the cross country program
at Ouachita, which is
why when Beaumont
reached out to him, he was
a little surprised.
“We’re down in Arkansas,
and I never really
thought about recruiting in
the Illinois area,” he said.
“[Beaumont] reached out to
me, and it was kind of a nobrainer
just because of her
times and her academics.”
Beaumont was awarded
both an academic and athletic
scholarship from the
school.
“It was a pretty easy decision
on my part, and I was
excited to have an athlete of
her caliber,” Bostick added.
Beaumont trained hard
all summer, and Bostick expected
big things from the
freshman.
“We did add three pretty
good freshman this year,
with Jorie being one of
them,” Bostick said.
Beaumont said she was
excited to jump into school
and cross country and get
the season started.
“I like just jumping in,
getting ready and starting
really quickly,” she said.
As for her goals she had
for the season, she just
wanted to be a contributing
member of the team and
bond with her teammates.
“I want to be able to be in
the varsity runners and just
to be up there,” Beaumont
said. “More importantly, I
just want to be able to contribute
to the team and encouraging
and be able to be
able to create a great team
atmosphere; that’s the most
important thing for me.”
Jorie Beaumont was one of the top runners for the Lockport
Township girls cross country team before graduating this
year and moving on to run at Ouachita Baptist University in
Arkadelphia, Arkansas. 22nd Century Media File Photo
LISTEN UP
“It’s a young team. That was a thing I was a little bit worried
about at the beginning of the season. Where is my leadership
going to come from? But they stepped up. And being here
bodes well for the future.”
Erin Truesdale — Lockport girls cross country coach, after her team
completed the season at state
Tune In
Boys Bowling
Facing a rival — 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, at
Sandburg
• The Porters hope for good scores when
taking on the Eagles in one of the season’s
early matchups.
Index
35 - This Week In
34 - Athlete of the Week
FASTBREAK is compiled by Editor Thomas Czaja,
tom@homerhorizon.com.