Bethanie Brown is a senior at Waterville HS. She ran under 5 minutes for the mile last winter becoming the first Maine HS girl to do so. Brown was an All-American in the 2 mile indoors, and capped off the outdoor season with a state all-time best for 1600m. follow Bethanie as she competes during the indoor season.
For the past three years the Waterville girls have won the Indoor Track and Field State Class B Championship meet. Each year that we win, the Waterville team looks forward to a marvelous celebration. First of all, the athletic director is informed that we have won, and as soon as she knows for sure, she starts getting things ready for our return to the high school, with the help of a longtime Waterville fan, Lolita Day.
After a long ride home from the meet, the buses meet some police cars and fire trucks and many of our parents in a parking lot. That’s where our traditional parade around Waterville begins. Even though it’s a cold, dark winter night, that doesn’t spoil our mood. As we take the route past the high school and through the surrounding neighborhoods and the downtown, we shout out the windows to those who are passing by in their cars, or the few who might, for some reason, be walking outside on a winter night. A few Waterville fans stand along our route with congratulatory signs. Although the night air in February is frigid, we put the windows down and cheer almost loudly enough to drown out the sirens and car horns. The looks we get from people are priceless. Although Waterville isn’t exactly “hoppin” at night, we do get the attention of a few people who peer out their windows to see what all the commotion is. When we finally arrive at the high school after the parade, the Waterville fans give us a standing ovation as we 
walk into the school. After we pose for some photos we head for the cafeteria, where pizza, a congratulatory cake, and Gatorade awaits us.
The pizza is set up buffet style, and the hungry athletes are served first. Then the parents help finish up what’s left. After pizza, our tradition is that freshmen serve the cake, and once everyone has settled down to enjoy it, Mrs. Bernier (the athletic director) and Coach Wilson each give a short speech to congratulate the team and to thank our parents for their support. After a long day of competing, we head home feeling like our hard work is appreciated. We’re excited for the next track season, and motivated to work even harder the next time.
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