Holmes running toward greatness

SUPERIOR - Unlike most athletes that excel in their chosen sport, Shane holmes didn't get his start on the track until he was about 12 years old, when his mother convinced him to start running.

"We did this thing called wednesday night at the races," he said.  "Every wednesday in the summer we'd go out and run a mile, and just compete against whoever showed up."

Now a junior in high school, Shane is one of the top runners in Wisconsin.  But no matter how good he is, he still gets nervous before a race.

"I feel like i'm not going to do well at all," said Holmes.  "Even though I'm ranked high, I just don't feel like I can, but I always end up doing as good as I should."

Part of what makes holmes so good is the way he prepares for each race.

"Shane's got a lot of natural ability for one thing," saide Superior Cross-Country Coach Dan Conway.  "To go with that, he has a good work ethic, he works real hard."
"The harder you work," adds Holmes, "the more it pays off."

For Shane, the hard work paid off last fall with a berth in the state cross–country meet where he placed 34th out of 190 runners.

"I was proud of what I did compared to how many I ran against," he said.  "It was a good experience, I'm hoping to go back next year."

When Shane's not running, this self–described country boy likes spending time on his familys land, doing things like working on and riding four–wheelers.

"A lot of people just don't see it like I do," he said.  "When Ii go out and have fun, I want to go and maybe have a fire or something."
"He's always four–wheeling or snowmobiling," said Leah Holmes, Shane's sister.  "We always have bonfires together, we always go camping, all that stuff."

But for now, Shane's future lies on the track, including a possible Division One scholarship.

"I think that would be pretty cool," Shane said.  "I haven't really given it much thought because I'm still in my junior year."

Before that, there's still a lot of work to do.

"He's at the point now where he can't afford to be complacent, be satisfied with what he's done," said Conway.  "here's a lot of improvement, and he knows that."