Sletner represents Gig Harbor at USATF cross-country nationals

Bill Herling noticed something missing in Gig Harbor.

In a city with a storied tradition of distance runners, there was no cross-country club associated with the United States Track and Field governing body.

So, Herling decided to create one.

“I noticed there’s one in Federal Way, there’s one in Bremerton, but there isn’t one in Gig Harbor,” Herling said. “So, we started one this fall.”

As coach of Kopachuck Middle School’s cross-country team, creating the USATF club was a decision Herling made after seeing the recent success of middle school cross-country in the Peninsula School District.

And in their inaugural season, Gig Harbor’s USATF club qualified for a regional meet in Eugene, Oregon and placed second in the state as a group.

Under the direction of Herling, that group includes seventh-grader Taylor Sletner, who placed 11th in Eugene and earned the opportunity to compete in Madison, Wisconsin for the USATF National Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Dec. 14.

“It was really cold,” Sletner said. “It was really fun. It was a great adrenaline rush, which was nice.”

The cold didn’t seem to phase Sletner, who ran the three-kilometer race in 11:45.7 and placed 53rd in the country among a 317-runner field on Saturday.

Sletner attributed her success to a consistent training routine.

“I like practicing running,” Sletner said. “With my family, with my coach, and with my friends. Every day after school, I go out on a run with either my mom or by myself, and we go around our neighborhood.”

Herling seems to attribute Sletner’s success to her work ethic, too.

“There are very few girls her age that are out running when it’s pouring down rain,” Herling said. “[Taylor’s] love for running is contagious. I think she brings the best of those around her. She’s very quiet and very reserved. She doesn’t seem like the competitor-type.

“But when she’s running, she’s just this totally different person. She’s obviously got a lot of raw talent, but there’s a lot of hard work. It’s not easy to run as fast as she does.”

Herling also coaches Sletner at Kopachuck Middle School, where Sletner says she began running competitively. It’s the middle school in the Peninsula School District that has seen the greatest growth since the inception of the cross country program three years ago.

“Every year, our numbers have only gone up,” Herling said. “Kids seem to come back, and that’s what’s really cool. [Cross country] is the only sport that sixth graders can do in the fall, and because of that, I think most people thought, ‘Oh, well they’ll do [cross country] in sixth grade and when they become seventh and eighth graders, they’ll do soccer or volleyball (instead).’

“But what I’ve seen is that actually those kids come back. Which is really important for the high school, because that’s what other successful high school programs have. They have really good middle school teams.”

Kopachuck began their inaugural cross country season in 2017 with 80 kids. Today, they continue to lead the way with roughly 110.

And with Sletner representing the city of Gig Harbor around the nation, Herling knows not only the importance of her impact on the storied tradition of distance running in the city, but the potential for her future.

“She’s only a seventh grader, so there’s such a bright future for her,” Herling said. “And that’s what’s really exciting to see as a coach. Someone who really loves [running], puts in a lot of time, and really defines running as what she wants to do.”