Rylee Brown
Coeur d’Alene High School
Rylee Brown is a 17-year-old senior at Coeur d’Alene High School and varsity cross-country runner. She is relatively new at the sport, joining her sophomore year after spending eight years playing competitive soccer. One of her biggest challenges at first was training on her own.
“With distance running, in order to be competitive, you must put some miles under you on your own time. When I switched over from soccer, I wasn’t used to running on my own. Once I kept a training log and settled into a routine, I began to enjoy it,” Rylee said.
She realized that team members are hard workers by trait in life. The Viking cross-country team considers themselves a second family supporting each other.
“I love the feeling of satisfaction and reward that you get every time you get a good time or run a great race because all your training and work pays off. It’s kind of an indescribable feeling,” Rylee said.
She plans on attending college next year and is weighing her options with some schools in the Pacific Northwest and also closer to home. She’s considering studying communications and public relations. One thing is definite—she’ll continue running.
“Pursuing my running career into college is definitely a goal of mine,” she said. As Rylee moves beyond her high school cross-country years, she’ll take the lessons of hard work with her.
“My cross-country coaches have taught me that no one is going to put in the work for you—your desire and passion should push you further.”
Dakota Curtis
Lake City High School
Dakota Curtis has being playing soccer for as long as he’s been in school. The 17-year-old Lake City High School senior has been on the varsity team since his freshman year and has proven his worth each year, becoming MVP as a sophomore, team captain for the District 1 All-League team and now team captain for the high school. He is a lettered student athlete, carries a 3.8 GPA and is a member of the student council.
“I love the competition, and I’m always willing to put in the extra effort to be better than the next guy that I face out on the field. Also, being a team captain creates the opportunity to push myself as well as my team,” Dakota said.
His coach, Alan Rich, had this to say: “In game situations, Dakota plays unselfishly. He will distribute the ball to the right player at the right time and does not care about personal glory.”
Coach Rich credits Dakota with being a leader on and off the field, something Dakota admits to being conscientious about.
“I always have to make sure I’m setting a good example on and off the field,” Dakota said.
Next year, he plans on attending college to study pre-medicine for a career in medicine, chiropractic medicine or athletic training where he can help others. Even after moving on to college and collegiate soccer, he will take this life lesson from his coach: “‘Practice how you play’. It taught me to always put 100 percent in everything you do whether it’s practice, school work or a game,” he said.