She runs, she jumps, she... well, she used to shoot, too, but now she mainly runs and jumps. Very fast, and very far.
She also kicks, but more on that later.
If you have been following the Philly-area girls' indoor track season, you probably noticed a focused, lanky, powerful freshman from Methacton High School by the name of Ryann Krais. For starters, she does quite a few running events, along with the long jump. And so far, it's been a season of PRs, some just for indoor, and others indoor or out.
Krais at the start of her PA#2 200 of
25.73 at the Burdette Indoor Classic 12/30.
To be sure, Ryann is an athlete first. Good at anything she has tried, and competitive, as well. With an older brother who plays street hockey and lacrosse, and a neighbor for her main competition since a very young age, she developed a sense that she could try anything. And it's that competitive nature -- "I always wanted to be on the winning team" -- that seems to be the basis for her excellent start as a high school freshman.
Krais' other sport - the one she hopes to keep playing while she sees how good she can get in track & field - is soccer. In fact, she is hoping to do both soccer and T&F in the spring. Both coaches are willing to give it a try. She has played soccer since the 5th grade. When she was younger, she also played basketball. Ironically, it was her 7th grade basketball coach who got her to try the oval. He also coached middle school track, and knew she was fast from watching her tear up and down the court. So in the spring two years ago, she gave track a try for the first time, mainly, she says, "because I didn't have a spring sport."
They started her in the 100, 200 and 400, and she proved almost immediately to be a talent. She would win most of her races, but she loved the team more than anything. "Track was mostly a social event at first. But then I got more enthusiastic. I guessed I was good, but I didn't have any comparison." And that comparison she is getting this year. The initial reaction is that her first instinct was right on the money. She's good.
As of January 22, she ranks in the top four in Pennsylvania in four individual events. She is 2nd in the 200 with the 25.73 she ran in winning the Burdette Indoor Classic on December 30th. Also at Burdette, she ran an indoor PR of 58.20 for 400m, which is currently 3rd in PA. Her 8.5h 55m Hurdles win in December at a Delaware Valley Girls meet places her 4th in the state. And her 17-07.50 Long Jump on January 14th is also 4th in PA. Outdoors, she has a PR of 57:08 for 400m and 14.8 for the 100m Hurdles. The 14.8 would have placed her in the top ten of PA, while the 57:08 placed her 11th while still an 8th grader.
Not surprisingly, with so many good performances, she remains undecided as to her favorite. "It changes. I'm a sprinter, so the 400 is as far as I go. But I think the 400 is the hardest because it takes the most heart." She narrowly missed running an 800 last spring, but it was cancelled. And she doesn't hope to see another one any time soon. Obviously, she runs 500's as a part of her training, but she sees those as just a part of the work she has to do to be as good as she wants to become.
Yet her goals remain modest. "I just want to make it to States and do well. Plus, I'd like to improve on my outdoor times, indoors."
In addition to the dual attractions of competition and challenging herself, the team aspect also remains an important part of her growing love of the sport. And this time it's not all social. "The girls on our team train hard. That's part of what I like. Everyone works hard. They want to improve. And if you do well, you get excited, you train harder."
Krais also hopes to bring the same level of commitment to her school's soccer team. She says Mechacton had a lot of freshmen starting in 2004, so the way she sees it, the older they get, the better shot they'll have at doing well. With the added speed of Ryann at the striker position, she's probably going to have an immediate impact.
And that level of commitment is no less apparent in the rest of her life. Krais is involved with her church youth group. She tried to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, but has to wait until she turns 16. And she got all A's during her first semester in high school.
Proving that this is one quick start that won't be slowing down any time soon.
