![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Cross country raced against Gunn in the HOKA Postal Nationals at Henry M. Gunn High School on Thursday.
The HOKA Postals featured a two-mile race on a track instead of the standard three-mile hilly cross country course. Sponsored by the running shoe brand HOKA One One, this event is a nationwide cross country competition in which runner’s times are uploaded to the HOKA Postal Nationals website, where schools from across the country can compare results. This format allows athletes to focus on pacing and speed development instead of course navigation.
For the sixth consecutive year, Head Coach Jorge Chen turned this event into a fundraiser by partnering with the Komen Foundation, an organization dedicated to breast cancer research. Held each October in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the event invited athletes’ parents to make donations based on the number of seconds shaved off runner’s best times.
“Every year, I’ve partnered with Komen Foundation to raise money for their cause,” Chen said. “Six years ago, my daughter’s mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, and two years later it was my own mom. Komen has always been grateful for this fundraiser since we always combined it with the HOKA Postals Two Mile event.”
Several runners achieved standout performances and personal bests. Senior Emily Bryan dropped 35 seconds to run 12:54, while junior Axel Szolusha led the team with a time of 10:16, improving by 34 seconds. Junior Ava Alvarez also cut 34 seconds to finish in 12:26. Sophomore Michael Petrov and frosh Sophie Shen each made large time drops of 53 and 42 seconds, respectively.
Michael praised the team’s pacing strategy, noting how everyone in his heat managed to finish the second mile faster than the first.
“Everyone ran negative splits, which was insane, and trying to stick with them helped me run a better time,” Michael said. “The two mile is a good way to train speed since it’s not as long as a 5K, so I’m more confident running at a higher speed.”
Athletes wore pink attire and wristbands to show their support for the cause. Ava felt that the meet offered a valuable break from high-stakes league meets and the purpose behind it made it meaningful.
“It was really fun and felt like a very low-stakes meet,” Ava said. “I thought it was really cool how they tied the running aspect with fundraising, and I’d love to see more meets like this.”
The cross country team competes next at WBAL #2 at Baylands on Oct. 29.
