Host school district rescues runners’ hopes

The conclusion of the season for a van full of Ilwaco student-athletes nearly ended in disaster. Head Coach Sarah Taylor and the Fishermen cross country squad had an uneventful 322-mile journey to Eastern Washington and were looking forward to competing in the WIAA 2B state championship race at the Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco. Once in the Tri-Cities, their itinerary the day before the race included detouring to an off-site location to collect their official registration paperwork and bib numbers. That’s when the engine noise of the Ocean Beach School District van signaled a problem. Eventually the 9-seater van coughed to an inauspicious halt at the side of the road. Various calls for help linked the supervisors with the Kennewick School District. The Ilwaco staff praised the host district for going beyond anything they could have expected. A driver showed up in a new van, rescued the students, loaded their kitbags, then took them to their hotel, making sure all was well.

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