Deering finishes Spoofhound cross-country career with state medal, school record
Maryville senior Audrey Deering hugs coach Rodney Bade on Friday after breaking the school record and winning a medal in Columbia. (JON DYKSTRA/THE FORUM)
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Coach Rodney Bade and senior Audrey Deering have had a lot of conversations over Deering’s middle-school and high-school running career. Friday’s conversations were unique though.
It started right before the Class 3 State Championship race at Gans Creek when junior Arryonna Bartlett and Deering did their usual routine at the start line — jogging out a few minutes before the gun and waiting for Bade to join their huddle and give them the pre-race message.
“He started tearing up and then we both started tearing up,” Deering smiled. “And it’s like, ‘no, we gotta go kick butt, we got to lock in and not be sad yet until after.’ That was a really funny moment.”
The huddle was smaller than the usual full-team meeting that the Spoofhounds have pre-race and after six years of coaching Deering through the ups and downs that come along with being not only a cross-country runner, but simply being a high schooler in general.
“It’s been a long journey,” Bade said. “There have been some tough times and some great experiences. … I’ll remember lots of conversations. The highs were very high and the lows were very low, but I’ll remember a kid who always trusted in what we were doing. I always felt there was full faith. She believed in what we were doing. She knew I cared and trusted what I told her. … I’ll definitely remember today.
“When I went to talk to them in the team huddle, I didn’t get very far and I started tearing up a little bit. I don’t really know why, I just got emotional. I’m just proud of those girls, really proud of those girls.”
Deering felt the emotion too as she lined up for the last time as a high schooler at the Gans Creek course. She turned that into the best race of her life.
“That was the most surreal moment I’ve ever felt,” Deering said. “I am so grateful for this team and my coach. You can’t even explain it unless you do it. There’s no way to describe this feeling.”
It was a fast race on a fast course and Deering rode the wave to a 19:52.3 run to take 22nd overall and break Lydia Mitchell’s 10-year old school record in the 5K.
“In my mind through the chaos, I was telling myself to be calm,” Deering explained. “Yes, it was going fast, but if I just told myself to be calm, then it’s not going fast. … Last one, fast one.”
That led to the next conversation with Bade. First, Deering was greeted at the finish by Bartlett, then teammate Elliett Bade, then her parents. Hugs and congratulations were the first order of business, but Deering kept asking the same thing, ‘where’s Bade?’
Bade was getting the boys ready for their race, but soon got to check in on Bartlett and Deering. That conversation was shorter than the pre-race one, but no less emotional.
As Bade walked up, Deering hopped his way repeating the same line over and over again — ‘I did it!’ She hugged her coach with tears in her eyes when they met.
“I’ve just had the mentality all season — ‘Why not me?’” Deering said. “Just go for it.”
Deering was third in school history before the race, but passed Mitchell and her former teammate and current running partner Katherine Pohren for the record.
“Katherine Pohren was second with 20:20 and my previous PR was 20:21, so gotta get her on that,” Deering laughed.
Bartlett finished with a 21:41 — a 9-second personal best — to take 101st Friday. She will return to lead a Spoofhound team next season who returns everyone outside of Deering.
“I’ve enjoyed every season with her,” Bartlett said of Deering. “I’m so proud of her for getting a huge PR. I’m pretty bummed that this is our last race together, but I know that she is going to go off and do lots of great things in her next chapter.”
