WESTWOOD—Four girls from the Westwood cross country team have laced up their shoes and set their sights on what the program tells Pascack Press is the ultimate prize: the USATF National Junior Olympics Youth Cross Country Championship.
Brooke Colella, Grace Harrahy, Zoe Zapata, and Ava Sterkenburg, in grades 8, 6, 4, and 3, respectively, are headed to Louisville, Ky. to race against the nation’s best in their age groups at the championships on Saturday, Dec. 9.
“The road to the national championship has been paved with sweat, determination, some tears, and a shared goal of excellence led by Coach Ruben Baerga. Having four athletes qualify for the national championship is no small feat, and it is even more impressive with Coach Ruben being at the helm for only two seasons,” the Striders tell us.
This accomplishment is hardly surprising for those who know Ruben, the program adds. “Leveraging his 20-plus years of coaching and military background, his dedication and attention to quality have positioned his student-athletes to consistently improve and perform at their highest level.”
Moreover, “The girls’ accomplishment is not just an opportunity for individual glory; it’s a chance for them to inspire others. The dedication, discipline, and sportsmanship exhibited by these four athletes serve as a beacon for aspiring runners within the program and the broader community.”
Win or lose, says Westwood Cross Country, the team “couldn’t be more proud of the girl power headed to nationals and supporting their achievement of something extraordinary, proving that the pursuit of excellence is a journey worth taking.”
Westwood New Jersey Striders is a USA T&F sanctioned Youth Track & Field Club,. which competes in two seasons per year: track & field in spring and cross-country in the fall.
The New Jersey Striders Track Club is a non-profit club with members from New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. “We compete in local and national races and meets. The Striders are involved in youth, open, and masters competitions with an emphasis on touth.”
Each year it organizes several Youth Track & Field developmental competitions in April, May, and June.
The Westwood Striders are involved only in youth competitions.
Ruben tells Pascack Press, “Our focus is learning technique and fitness. The club includes throwers, jumpers, sprinters/ hurdlers, and middle- and long-distance runners events.”
He says, “Our club has members with a wide range of ability levels—from beginner to national caliber—the program understands that with youth comes inexperience and therefore we focus on learning and having fun and knowing that the participants will successfully transition to the next levels.”
The Westwood NJ Striders Cross Country season is a four-month-long season that practices three to four times per week at local trails and parks: Westvale Park and Pascack Brook County Park.
The athletes, aged 7–14, compete in four age groups: 7–8, 9–10, 11–12, and 13–14. The practices are three general types of workouts: distance runs and aerobic conditioning, intervals/speed workouts, and tempo threshold training
This season the four Westwood NJ Strider National Qualifiers, Ava, Zoe, Grace, and Brooke, started training in late August, running three to four times per week for an average of 10–12 miles per week. They’re ending the season in December, where they are running four to five times per week and averaging 20–25 miles per week.
They competed in three NJ Striders developmental meets in Mahwah; four XC Youth Invitational meets at Holmdel Park – Holmdel, at Greystone Park – Morris Plains, at Oak Ridge Park – Clark, and at Van Cortlandt Park – New York, N.Y.; and the State Championships—USA T&F NJ Association XC Championships at Greystone Park.
For more information about the Westwood Cross Country and spring track programs, contact Coach Ruben Baerga at rubenbaerga@gmail.com or (562) 235-3239.