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By Scott Abraham
Contributing Writer
Staring out on that circular paved track. Putting all distractions out of
her mind. Lacing her shoe strings just a little tighter.
And then that famous 80s guitar riff grows louder and
louder...
Then.... BOOM. BOOM-BOOM-BOOM.....
That’s the beginning of Survivor’s smash hit,
“Eye of The Tiger,” the theme song to Rocky III and the wall of sound
motivating Minster High School’s Brigitte Sherman to bring home the
gold.
Whether on a hilly cross country course or the
uniform surface of a track, Sherman has no trouble putting her gameface on
when it’s time to get down to business.
“I’ve always put on that song before a race.
It helps us get focused even more,” Sherman said. “I really enjoy
having a good time with my friends, but coach (Tony Richard, assistant,
cross country) wants us to get serious before the race.”
Richard’s choice of “Eye of The Tiger,”
fits Sherman’s personality and success to a T.
The last verse says it all..
“Risin’ up, straight to the top
Have the guts, got the glory
Went the distance, now I’m not gonna stop
Just a man and his will to survive.”
Well the last sentence should say “woman,” but you get the point.
Sherman simply has risen to the top, has never
stopped working to stay there, doesn’t plan on letting up and will move
forward no matter what obstacles get in her way.
Oddly enough, Sherman’s longtime friend, Rachel
Barga, convinced her to join Minster High School’s track team as a
freshman. Barga, on the other hand, eventually quit the team while her new
recruit kept on going.
“Yeah, Rachel convinced me to try out. She made
me join,” Sherman said. “I thought it would be easier than volleyball,
but it wasn’t. I was lucky that my friend, Jenna Fausey, made sure that
I stuck with it.
“It was hard and demanding, but I really began
to like it.”
Sherman’s growing attraction to the sport began
to translate into honors -- big-time honors -- both individually and for
her teammates.
2004 was a watershed year for Sherman.
In that school year alone, these highlights hit
the newsstands: the Lady Wildcats won the Division III state championship
in track; Sherman’s team won the state 4x800; finished 9th in the 800;
and won the Midwest Athletic Conference’s 4x800 relay.
“That was such a thrill, winning the state,”
Sherman said. “We went through so many emotions. At first, we thought we
had won, then we thought we tied (with Versailles), then we thought we
came in second.
“When the scores were figured up, we had won.
It was such a rush. And we beat Versailles, too. They’re a big rival for
us.”
But Sherman’s track career had many more
shining moments.
Her resume also includes: finishing sixth in the
1600 state finals in 2005, third in the 4x800 (2006) and sixth in the
1600s (2006); 2005 MAC All Conference 1600m -1st place; 2005 MAC All
Conference 4x800 - 1st place; and MAC All Conference 4x800 - 1st place in
2006.
And, guess what... there’s more!
Not only is Sherman blazing a path in track,
she’s also one accomplished cross country runner.
On Oct. 3, 2003, Sherman was named as one of the
top 25 runners in the region by The
Dayton Daily News, with a time of 19:47.
She went on to surpass that mark with a
19:02 that year, which did not go unnoticed by her teammates and coaching
staff. It was the third fastest time in Minster’s school history.
“I really want to break 19 this year. That’s
my goal,” Sherman said.
Based on her history, bet on it.
Sherman was named to the All-Ohio Cross Country
teams in 2003 through 2005, with finishes of 23rd, 7th and 19th,
respectively.
The Lady Wildcats won the state title in 2004 and
2005 and placed third in 2003. They also finished third in the 2006 Nike
Team National Midwest region. Sherman was a co-captain in 2005 and again
this year.
One reason why Sherman may have earned the
co-captain distinction is her loyalty to assistant coach Jesse Magoto.
“Jesse has taught me a lot. Sure we all know
that we have to get our running in and stay in shape, but we also have to
eat right and get proper sleep too,” Sherman said. “Jesse cannot be
with us all day, but if you really do what she says, you will be
successful.
“I’ve also been really inspired by my
brother, Ryan. He’s in a wheelchair, but he always stays upbeat.
Whenever I have a tough day, I look to him and he keeps me going.”
And despite her busy schedule, Sherman has never
struggled to balance academics with athletics. She won the Scholar-Athlete
award for the 2003-04 school year, by maintaining a 3.5 GPA. She currently
has a 3.6 GPA and ranks 17th in her class of 77 students.
Sherman has also channeled her enthusiasm for
extracurricular activities into a stellar cheerleading career.
For three years, Sherman has cheered on the Lady
Wildcats, and her squad won the Division IV OASSA state title in 2005 and
finished third last year.
With her success in the classroom, on the track,
on the course and shouting Minster’s name loud and proud, many colleges
will likely want Sherman to be a part of their four-year plan.
Sherman hopes, at this point, that The University
of Dayton, Miami University, Ohio University and Bowing Green University
come calling.
But for now, Sherman wants to eat, sleep and
breathe her team’s motto this year.
“Champions are made when no one’s
watching,” said Sherman. “It’s so true. So many people don’t see
what goes on behind the scenes. It’s up to you if you want to be the
best.”
Nobody’s doubting you, Brigitte.
Best of luck!
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