Osseo cross-country senior captain Grace Koskela summed up her latest achievement in less than 140 characters.
"After six years of pain, tears, and dedication, I finally achieved my goal. I am very proud to say that I am a state athlete!" Koskela wrote in a tweet. She ran a personal-best 15 minutes, 23.3 seconds at the Class 2A, Section 5 meet Thursday, good for eighth place and a first trip to the state meet this Saturday.
Koskela said she started cross-country "just out of the blue" in seventh grade with a friend after they decided to compete together in a sport. Despite a knee issue that made it tough to finish races at times for about three seasons, one thing kept her coming back each year.
"It's always the people," Koskela said. "I'm blessed that I have them."
Koskela is about to end her high school career having accomplished goals of reaching state, breaking a 4-kilometer time of 15:30 and helping the Orioles improve their finish at the Northwest Suburban Conference meet. Osseo placed fifth this year "and that was huge for us," Koskela said.
Koskela talked with reporter Heather Rule about her cross-country career.
Q: Were you expecting to make it to state this year? What were your first thoughts when you found it was a reality for you?
A: It was going to be close. I've known that from the beginning of the season. I have to say, I've never hurt so much in a race. I was really putting it all out there on the course. I was in a lot of pain. It didn't quite hit me that I made it to state yet. I was in total shock. It really set in when I looked over and I saw my mom crying, and I knew that I had really done something special.
