Salute to Seniors: Josh Horne - Mt Blue HS

 

 

What was your most memorable race/moment?


Probably my junior year Class A XC state championship meet. I vividly remember getting about 4 hours of sleep the night before because of how nervous I was, which just made me more worried and stressed. I ended up doing much better than ever before placing 4th, which was significantly better than I had done at Regionals and KVACs the 2 weeks prior.

Who would you consider your biggest competition over your four years?


I’ve been very lucky to have a lot of competition on my team every year. My junior year Justin Tracy pushed me, while my senior year our texas-transfer Aaron Willingham pushed me. Without them I would not have been nearly as successful as I was. Besides that, Logan Moses from Messalonskee has been good competition, along with the Lewiston crew.

What was your greatest accomplishment?
Ever since I began running, my dream had been to win Class A XC states. Finally achieving it my senior year was huge. Besides that, breaking 16:00 at Festival was stellar and getting the Bonsey Report’s “Most Improved Award” my junior year was equally awesome.

If you could do it all over again what would you change about your running career in high school?


I would have definitely started running earlier. Starting my sophomore year, and not taking it very seriously at the time, set me a bit behind. Everything worked out great though, so I probably wouldn’t change anything.

What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?

Injury after injury. Every winter that I (tried) to do indoor track I got seriously injured. This would always set me behind during the outdoor season and was completely demoralizing. In those situations you just have to keep your chin up and work your way back.

What will you miss the most?

Those preseason team Acadia trips were the best. They were great bonding experiences and were a ton of fun.

What advice you would give to younger athletes?

People seem to believe that being a great runner requires some special gift. Really though, the guy who eventually wins is the one who believes he can. Everyone has what it takes to be great and anyone could be the next best.

What influence has your coach had with respect to your performance and overall life goals?

The care and dedication Kelley puts into every individual athlete on the team is phenomenal.  It goes far beyond simply giving us workouts.  Before every race, Kelley will confront everyone individually to talk about what they want to do. During my sophomore year when I was not on varsity this helped keep me dedicated. It’s very easy to feel overlooked and lose focus when you’re not one of the top athletes, but Kelley puts in the time and effort to ensure that everyone feels both confident and important. All of the accomplishments I’ve made since then are because of her.

What are your college plans?
To tear up the trails at UMO.

Who would you like to say thank you to?
I would like to say thank you to my running buddies these past few years, Dan, Aaron, and Justin, along with my coaches Kelley and BK, I really couldn’t have asked for a better coaching duo.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

There are clubs you can’t belong to, schools you can’t get into, and neighborhoods you can’t live in, but the roads are always open. - Nike
 

 

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Do you know a class of 2014 track and field or cross country athlete? We'd like to salute them! Have them answer the following questions plus send 2-3 photos (can not be from another website or publication) to dveilleux@milesplit.us