An Interview with Ripley High’s Ellie Hosaflook

Ellie Hosaflook is currently a freshman at Ripley High School. Recently she won the St. Mary’s Medical Center XC Festival Girl’s 5K with a time of 19:38, breaking the tape 45 seconds ahead of her next-closest competitor and leading the Vikings to a runner-up finish as a team.

Over the past 3 years of running middle school track and cross country, she has put together some amazing performances. During her 8th-grade cross country season, she went undefeated against in-state rivals. She was the 2019 MVAC Girl’s Middle School Conference Champion, but the highlight of her cross-country season was winning the Middle School Girl’s 4,000 Meter Race at the Greater Louisville Classic at Tom Sawyer State Park in Louisville (KY) with a Personal Record and Season Best time of 14:56.90. In the postseason, she placed 3rd in the 13-14 Girl’s Race at the Foot Locker South Regional at Greenway Park in Charlotte (NC) with a 5K time of 18:51. In track, the season was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But as a seventh grader, she ran 5:23 for the 1600m and 11:15 for the 3200m. In the postseason, she placed 5th in the Junior High Girl’s 2 Mile Run at New Balance Nationals Outdoor at the NC A&T Irwin Belk Track in Greensboro (NC) with a time of 11:32.83.

She is the daughter of Will and Ashley Hosaflook. Ellie has one sibling, a younger sister named Lilah who is in the sixth grade.

Here is the interview with RunWV.com.

Mike McMillion: When did you first start running track or cross

country?

Ellie Hosaflook: My 6th-grade year at Ripley Middle School.

MM: Did you like running from the start?

EH: I like competing, but not necessarily the practice.

MM: Which sport do you like better – cross country or track?

EH: I like cross country better.

MM: What inspired you as a runner? Was it the thought of winning or did you even care about winning in the beginning?

EH: I have always liked competing in anything I do. Cross Country is a sport where determination and grit overcome pure talent which gives everyone the same opportunity to be successful.

MM: Did Tori Starcher’s success help motivate you or draw more interest at Ripley?

EH: I am lucky that I am from the same town as Tori and got to watch her every day in practice. How can you not look up to someone like her and use that for your motivation? She was such an encouragement to me my 6th grade year and first time running.

MM: Do you run for a youth club?

EH: No, I ran a few races with my dad when I was in elementary school.

MM: How tall are you?

EH: 4’ 10”

MM: Are there any other runners in your family?

EH: My dad began running in his adult life.

MM: How disappointed were you that your 8th-grade year was cut short because of the Covid-19 pandemic?

EH: I was disappointed because I wanted to break the 1600m and 800m record at my school.

MM: Who are your high school track and cross-country coaches?

EH: Jimmy and Hilary Groves are my cross-country coaches and Krystle Cunningham will be my track coach.

MM: What kind of training did you do over the summer to prepare for your freshman cross-country season?

EH: After a 3-month break I started running again in June and did low mileage.

MM: What is your favorite type of workout when training for cross-country (ex: high mileage, hills, tempo runs, long runs, repeats, etc.)?

EH: My favorite type of workout is hills and long runs.

MM: What goals have you set for yourself in high school?

EH: I would like to see my team place in the top 3 at states because that has never happened for a Ripley High School Girls Cross Country team. This year we have a lot of strong runners and I feel like we have a good chance.

MM: Do you participate in sports other than track or cross country?

EH: I also participate in basketball.

MM: Up to this point, do you have any one race or personal record time that you are most proud of?

EH: I am most proud of being a 3x champion at the Doddridge County Middle School races.

MM: Have you had any disappointments or setbacks?

EH: I was disappointed not having an 8th grade track season.

MM: How do you respond to a bad race?

EH: I use it as motivation to work harder in practice.

MM: Do you have a favorite race or run that you look forward to each

year?

EH: I have always looked forward to Doddridge, but this year I will be looking forward to the West Virginia High School State Cross Country Meet.

MM: Do you have any race day rituals? How do you get over the starting line jitters or butterflies?

EH: I always wear my lucky socks. The jitters and butterflies only last for a couple of seconds and then it is gone.

MM: This past Saturday you won the St. Mary Medical Center XC Festival high school girl’s race by over 45 seconds over your next closest competitor. You beat 4 girls in class ‘AAA’ that were ranked #4, #5, #6, #7; 3 girls in class ‘AA’ ranked #2, #6, #7; and the 3x class ‘A’ individual state champion. What were your expectations going into this race? Where you surprised how well you did?

EH: I was hoping I would be in the top 3, so that our team would have a good chance at winning. When I began running in 6th grade my middle school cross country and track teams were really strong. This year we are all back together with the addition of senior Jadyn Casto.

MM: Because of Covid-19 restrictions and using wave starts what were the challenges that you and your team faced at this race? Did the new starting line procedures mess up your pre-race routine?

EH: The challenge is not being able to race against everyone at the same time to know where you need to be and that everyone running later knew your time.

MM: Did having the boxes spread out and having no team within 10-15 feet from another team affect the start?

EH: No, it did not affect the start. We liked being spread out and having more room in the boxes.

MM: Do you think that wave starts can be an advantage or hurt some runners or teams?

EH: It helps being spread out, but if your competition is in another heat it hurts to not be able to run with them and push each other.

MM: Do you think the restrictions on having large crowds at the meets will affect how well athletes will perform? Does the encouragement of family, friends, relatives, etc. make that big of a difference, or are you so focused on your race that you cannot see a difference?

EH: I am so focused on my race that I never see or hear anything, but I am disappointed that my entire family and friends cannot be there to watch.

MM: How did you feel about not having an awards ceremony after the race and that the awards would be mailed to the schools?

EH: Honestly, I am glad to be able to run this season, so I am fine with no awards ceremony.

MM: After the cross-country season for the WVSSAC is over, will you participate at Foot Locker?

EH: It depends on the status of the pandemic at that time.

MM: Do you plan on running in college? If so, do you have a college that you would like to attend?

EH: Yes, but I have not thought about it that much.

MM: Where do you see yourself in ten years?

EH: At this time, I am interested in Agriculture, so who knows where that will take me.

MM: Who do you credit your success too?

EH: My coaches and teammates for pushing me every day.

MM: It is hard to predict what will happen in the coming months. What advice would you give to others?

EH: Run every race like it is your last. This has taken on a new meaning this year.

MM: Thank you for your time, Ellie. Good luck the rest of the cross-country season and I hope to see you running at Cabell Midland in late October for the state cross country meet. Anything else you would like to say?

EH: Thank you for the interview and I wish everyone a great season!

Submitted by Mike McMillion (09/07/20)

mgmcmillion@aol.com