Two Shelter Island athletes shine at state championships

The New York State Cross Country Championships is one of the most demanding and intimidating meets of the fall season. 

Bringing deep rosters from programs across every corner of the state, this year’s races at Queensbury High School in Glens Falls, N.Y., unfolded under a low-30s chill on a course carved through dense, shaded woods. 

Overnight rain froze on the ground and softened into alternating patches of ice and mud, coating long stretches of the 5K trail and making the narrow hills and tight switchbacks especially challenging. Some hundred runners from each class emerged from the forest into a wide, open field for the final sprint, where hundreds of spectators, teammates, and athletes gathered throughout the day to watch each wave of finishers cross the line.

And within that crowd was a group of 20 Islanders cheering on Shelter Island High School’s junior Henry Springer and 8th grader Amara Cajamarca-Goodale, who qualified for the championship last week.

As Springer pushed through the crowds passing the two-mile sign, he was met with a daunting hill becoming a steep incline, followed by a small plateau, and another steep incline. While physical challenges like elevation make the Queensbury course demanding, the mental strain, paired with the intimidation of a state title on the line, adds to the exhaustion.

The course, which primarily treks through dense woods and features two separate loops, includes sections where the loops intersect and cross, allowing runners to catch glimpses of the crowd minutes ahead as they pass through. 

The dense woods and terrain make the tight trails visually similar, making the final mile and incline — a time when runners typically want to push harder to cap off the race — all the more challenging.

“When I surfaced the hill going into the final mile, I told myself, ‘Pick it up now, or we’re only going to slow down from here.’ That’s when the nerves went away and I just focused on keeping my breathing and steps consistent,” Springer said, following his impressive race, which placed him in the top 100 in New York State’s Class D Male Cross Country runners.

Aside from the physical challenges, the mental battle, and the fact that he made it to what athletes call “states,” it was the moment Springer emerged from the crowded trail into the open field and seeing all those familiar faces  that will stick with him forever, he said. “As I looked up, I saw Brooklyn Gulluscio cheering from the sideline,” he added. “Then the rest of the Gulluscio family, the Potters, and my family. And what really hit me was my coach Toby Green, yelling at me to just ‘push on for another minute.’ He’s a huge motivator and helped me all season.”

The Class D field was fast, far faster than anything Springer had seen throughout the regular season. He opened with a strong pace, clocking a 5:40 first mile, yet still watched runners surge ahead in the early stages. “The speed at states is crazy,” he said. “Everyone is just locked in,” 

Even so, he maintained his speed, settling into and relying on the months of hill and endurance training behind him. The steep climbs of Shelter Island’s Goat Hill and the punishing inclines at Sunken Meadow echoed in his mind as he powered forward through the woods.

“I’m proud of myself for finally getting to states after working at it for so long,” he said. “Next year, I want more of our team there, guys like Eli Green have a real chance. That’s my goal, for us to get there together.” 

With one final season ahead of him, Springer leaves Glens Falls with a lot to be proud of and a fair slate of motivation.

For 8th grader Amara Cajamarca-Goodale, the experience carried a different kind of weight. Qualifying for states in her first-ever varsity cross country season placed her among the youngest competitors in Class D, and the scale of the race hit quickly. The early morning drive north gave her time to sit with the realization: she was lining up against runners as much as five years older, many with years of varsity experience.

The cold didn’t faze her; she expected that. But the woods did. The narrow trails forced her into a fast start, pushing her to get ahead before the pack tightened in the trees. “The woods were really narrow, so I knew I had to go out fast,” she said. “I was definitely scared and nervous going into the race.”

The sheer size and speed of the field were intimidating at times, especially with so many seniors surrounding her at the starting line. Still, she kept her pace, pushed through the final hill, and crossed the field toward the finish to a wave of cheers from the Shelter Island crowd. Along with her teammate, she also secured a top-100 finish in the Class D female division.

“I think I did O.K. this year,” she said. “Next year, I just want to train more and improve my time.”

With four seasons left at Shelter Island, her coaches view this race not as a peak but as a foundation. Shelter Island’s varsity girls Coach Erin Baskin said both runners exceeded expectations on a course that was tougher than anticipated. 

“Amara did amazing, and we’re really proud of both her and Henry for going,” Coach Baskin said.

“There’s a long legacy of runners coming from Shelter Island, and it’s cool to have more athletes involved in that,” she added. “They represented us so well.”