Ben Vanderbosch
White Bear Lake Area High School
What are all your personal records?
400m: 54.5
800m: 1:58
1600m: 4:21
3200m: 9:34
XC 5K: 15:59
How did you get started as a track or cross country athlete?
I started cross country in 6th grade but I ran in road races before that. I joined because my elementary school gym teacher thought I was good at running. On my first day of practice freshman year, we ran like three miles and I thought it was the hardest thing ever and I almost quit, thank God I didn't. I didn't join track until 9th grade because I played baseball in the spring. I think I joined track for about a day in 8th grade just so I could get the shirt. After cross country my freshman year, my coach would not leave me alone about track and I decided that I could probably make varsity in track faster than I could in baseball. What coach doesn't know is that I still play baseball in the summer and last year I got hit the calf by a pitch and it probably almost ended my season before it even started (shhhh).
What was your most memorable competition?
My most memorable competition was probably the section meet this year in cross country. We had been hyping ourselves up all week to beat our nemesis Stillwater and we finally did it and everyone Pr'd and it was great. It was also the nicest weather we've ever had at sections so that was nice too!
Who were the biggest competitors in your track/XC career?
Sophomore year I always ran right with Eddie Kiolbasa from Stillwater and the distance I was from him was always how I decided how well I raced. Now I've gotten pretty used to looking at Acer Iverson's butt at almost every meet. I've also been pretty close to Charlie Babcock, Austin Streit, Addison Stansbury, and all the other guys in my conference and section. I'm also in a couple Snapchat groups with some guys from other sections and it's always fun to race them on the rare occasion that I do. Shoutout to Adam Wilkinson and Nick Kerbeshian for adding me to that stuff.
What was your greatest accomplishment as a track/XC athlete?
I think that my greatest accomplishment would be either getting All-State last year in XC. That was the hardest I think I've ever tried in a race. I kept my focus the whole time which is unusual because in cross country I tend to sort of just get in the zone at the end and coast on the last K but this time I kept it going right to the end. I also think very highly of my 3200m freshman record that a few classes of freshman after me haven't been able to break. Max Nelson still cries about it.
What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?
The greatest obstacle that I've had to overcome is myself. My running partner Mike Rohlinger is always getting hurt so I always have to do weekend and offseason workouts on my own. There is nothing more difficult than forcing yourself to go on a long run in the snow by yourself.
What will you miss the most about high school track/XC?
The Boys. For sure the thing I'll miss the most is having a family like the cross country team. No other sport has a closer knit group of guys. We go on camping trips together and all this other fun stuff in the summer and I still plan on dropping in on some of their summer runs but it just won't be the same.
How have your coaches been an influence on you as an athlete and a person?
My coaches have had a great influence on me as an athlete and as a person. At first, I didn't know what I thought about Coach K because he's a little much when you first meet him but now that I'm used to him he's definitely been a very influential coach. It'd be a crime if I didn't also mention Coach Percival and Coach Gary Wilson. These two are probably the reason I'm going to be running in college. Both of them are super legendary coaches and they've taught me so much about the sport.
What are your post-graduation plans?
I'm going to be running cross country and track at the University of Montana in Missoula. I'll be majoring in either Wildlife Biology or Resource Conservation. The school has a great natural resources program so if anyone out there is interested in a beautiful college and a major in that arena definitely check it out!
