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The Cobden Times, Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Cross Country championship looms for Simpson teenager

For someone about to pitch her running skills against the best in the state, Simpson teenager Janelle Fisher seems anything but nervous.
The Cobden Technical School student will be the only representative from her school at this Friday's Victorian Secondary Schools' Sports association (VSSSA) Cross Country State Championship. Yet she remains laidback in her training and her attitude to this week's big competition. "We're supposed to train," she said. "I go for a jog every now and then and I play netball as well which helps to keep me fit."

It will be Janelle's first run in the three kilometre state event after a winning performance at the recent Western Zone competition. Janelle placed 10th out of a field of about 80 competitors at the Ballarat race to claim her place in the state finals. The 16 year-old will now head to Bundoora where she will face the biggest cross country event of her life. The top 20 from the Western Zone qualified for the state event which would be the same for all the other zones so it's going to be a huge race," she said.

Cobden Technical School sports co-ordinator Joanne Arundell said the qualification process was a lengthy one. "It's quite a process, students have to qualify through the Hampden Zone and then through the Western Zone; Janelle has done very well," she said. "We normally have one or two students qualify each year which is great:'