Caroline Pilcher is 7 ½ years old and in 2nd grade at King elementary school.  She really likes running relays at Wildcat practice.  Her favorite place to run is Bauman Park.  Her most memorable race so far is the Heritage Run this year because it was her first race. Her first Wildcat meet was at Belvidere where she ran 1500m in 8:03.  She says she likes cross country better than road races.  The sport that she likes best next to running is gymnastics.  The subject that she likes best at school is math.  Her favorite teacher so far has been Mrs. Vetrono for kindergarten.  When Caroline becomes an adult she wants to be a teacher and a gymnast.  Her favorite food is pizza and fruits and vegetables.  Her favorite musical groups are Backstreet Boys and *N’sync.  She likes to swim, play baseball and read Laura Ingalls Wilder books in her free time.

Matt Kieffer is 12 years old and is a 7th grader at Christian Life School.  He likes running because it’s fun but dislikes it because it’s tiring.  His favorite place to run is Rock Cut State Park.  His most memorable race is the Sloatman 8K Classic because he beat his personal goal.  His PR’s are:  1 mile-6:03, 8K-38:48.  His first Wildcat meet was at Belvidere where he ran 4K in 16:32.  The sport that he likes best next to running is ice hockey.  His favorite professional sport is ice hockey and his favorite team is the Detroit Red Wings.  His favorite sports hero is Sergov Federov.  The subject that he likes best in school is math.  His favorite teacher so far has been Mike Johnson.  When he becomes an adult he would like to be a professional hockey player.  His favorite food is cheeseburgers.  In his free time he likes to golf and play ice hockey.

Blake Lundin is a 6-year-old first grader who attends The Community School.  Blake likes running because he can be with his friends.  The thing he likes least about running is still being in the Pee Wee (Cheetah) division.  His favorite place to run is in any race and his most memorable race was at MELD in 1999 when he beat Ronald McDonald.  His current PRs are:  1 mile-7:34, 1500m-7:37.  His favorite sport besides running is football and his favorite team is the Packers.  His favorite sports hero is his high school friend Ben Carter.  His favorite subject in school is math and his favorite teacher so far has been Mrs. Guzzardo.  When he gets to be an adult he wants to play football.

Kyle Lundin is Blake’s brother.  Kyle is 9 years old and is in 4th grade at The Community School.  He likes to run because with the Wildcats you get to have fun.  The thing he likes least about running is getting tired.  His most memorable race was last years Junior Cross-Country Championships in Lexington, KY because it was the biggest race he had ever been in.  His PRs are:  1 mile-6:11, 3000m-13:08, 5K-22:31.  His favorite sport next to running is soccer.  His favorite sports hero is Jesse Owens.  His favorite subject in school is math and his favorite teacher so far has been Mrs. Thomas.  His favorite musical group is Burlap to Cashmeir.

George Beatty is a 13-year-old 7th grader at Keith School.  He runs because "it’s just a fun thing to do."  His favorite place to run is Aldeen Park and his favorite workout is long runs.  His most memorable race was last years Junior Championships in Lexington.  George’s PRs are: 1 mile: 6:01, 3K: 13:01, 2 miles-14:21.  His favorite sport next to running is soccer.  His favorite professional sport is football with the Chicago Bears being his favorite team.  His favorite sports hero is Khalid Khannouchi.  The subject that he likes best in school is Study Hall!  His favorite teacher was Mrs. Green, his kindergarten teacher.  When he gets to be an adult he wants to be a pilot or a chef—his favorite food is Sushi.  His favorite musical group is Smash Mouth.  Other things that George does in his free time are reading and white water kayaking.  He is also a second class Boy Scout.

Lily Beatty is George’s sister.  Lily is 6 years old and a 1st grader.  The thing she likes best about running is going fast but she doesn’t like to get too hot.  Her favorite place to run is Aldeen Park.  Her favorite workout is running up hills.  Her most memorable race was the Northwest Passage because she ran her first 1 mile race.  Her PR is:  1 mile-8:23 at State Street Mile.  The sport that she likes best next to running is soccer.  Her other favorite sport is football and she is a supporter of Penn State.  Her favorite sports hero is Michael Jordan.  The subject she likes best at school is recess.  Her favorite teacher was Mrs. Hollembeak.  When she becomes an adult she wants to be a lifeguard or a doctor.  Her favorite food is pasta and her favorite musical groups are Brittany Spears and N*Sync.  Lily is also on a swim team and her favorite stroke is backstroke.  She also likes to read in her spare time.

Caitlin Ring is 13 years old an  8th grader at Holy Family School and is starting her 2nd season with the Wildcats.  Her favorite place to run is Aldeen Park and her favorite running event is the mile.  Her favorite work out is a one or two mile run.  Her most memorable race was this year’s State Street Mile.  Her PR in the mile is 6:30.  The sport she likes best next to running is soccer.  Her favorite sports hero is Michael Johnson and she likes watching track and field events.  The subject that she likes best in school is math and her favorite teacher was Mrs. Sisler.  When she becomes and adult she would like to be a nurse.  Her favorite musical groups are Destiny’s Child and Backstreet Boys.

Robyn Block is 11 ½ years old and looking forward to 6th grade at Eisenhower Middle School this fall. The thing she likes best about running is going on trails and being with her friends. She thinks Aldeen and Dalquist Parks are the best places to run. Her favorite race is the 2 mile in the Heritage Run. She thinks her best race ever was the Wildcat home meet at Dalquist Park last fall. Besides running her next favorite sports are swimming and diving. When she grows up she wants to be a veterinarian. Her favorite schoolteacher so far has been Mrs. Schwarts. Her favorite food is ribs and spaghetti and her least liked foods are onions, zucchini, peppers and tomatoes. One other cool thing about Robyn is that she is the oldest of 7 cousins and has no brothers!  Robyn does have 3 great sisters. Whitney (10 ½ years old) and Michele (7 years old) also ran on the team last year. Their littlest sister Amy just can’t wait to get started soon on the team.

Whitney Block will be a 5th grader this year and likes running because it is good exercise although she doesn’t like the warm-ups. She likes to run at Aldeen Park for a good 2 miles. She likes the Heritage 2 mile race best. Her other favorite sports, like Robyn, are swimming and diving. Her favorite subject in school is math and her best teacher ever was Mrs. B. When she grows up she would like to be a singer. Her favorite food is spaghetti and her least favorite is asparagus.

Michele Block  will be in 2nd grade this year. She likes to play the games that the Wildcats all do together often, but she doesn’t like the stretching during warm-ups. Her favorite place to run is Dahlquist. She does the Heritage Run every year and finished the Forest City Fourth 2 mile also this year. Her favorite sport besides running is basketball. Her favorite subject in school is art and her favorite teacher has been Mrs. Olson. When she grows up she wants to be a dentist. Her favorite foods are chicken and spaghetti. Her least favorite is zucchini.
The three sisters all like to rollerblade and ride bikes. Their favorite musical group is *Nsync and they like Britney Spears. They all like their sisters too.

Tasha and Tyler Atchley are sister and brother and are avid runners. Tasha is 14 and will be entering 8th grade at Belvidere Junior High this fall. Tasha loves the challenge of the new competition each time she enters a race. Her favorite place to run is Dahlquist Park and her favorite workout is the relay practice. Her most memorable race was this year at the Dixon Reagan Run where she was the first place finishing women’s runner. Her PR’s are 2-mile-12:35, 5K-21:45, 1 mile 5:40. Her favorite sport next to running is basketball. Tasha’s favorite subject in school is Social Studies and her favorite teacher was Mrs. Curyle. Her favorite recording artist is Celina. When she is an adult she would like to be a teacher and a professional runner. If she is not running she likes to shop for running clothes and spend time with her family.

Tyler Atchley is 12 and will enter 6th grade this fall in Caledonia. He enjoys running and thinks it is challenging. He likes to run in different places instead of doing the same trails over and over. His favorite place to run is Aldeen Park. His favorite distance is 2 miles with a PR of 13:07. His favorite race was the 1999 AAU Junior Cross-Country Championships in Lexington, KY. His favorite sport after running is football. His favorite subject in school is spelling and his favorite teacher was Mrs. Salley. When he becomes an adult he would like to be a football star like Barry Sanders. His favorite singer is Will Smith. When Tyler is not running he likes to go fishing, take hikes, watch Rocket Power and ride go-carts.

Seth Cook is 11 and will be entering 6th grade at Eisenhower Middle School this fall. The thing he likes the most about Wildcats is getting a good workout and making new friends. His favorite place to run is Aldeen Park and he likes the relay practices the best. His most memorable race was the last Turkey Trot because it was his best time for a 3-mile race. His favorite sport next to running is football. His favorite subject in school is science and his favorite teacher was Mrs. Stirler. When he is an adult he would like to be an architect. His favorite recording artist is Eminem.

Josh Cook is 13 and will be entering 8th grade at Eisenhower Middle School this fall. He and Seth are brothers. The thing he likes best about running is being with his friends and working hard at the same time. His favorite place to run is Blackhawk Springs. His favorite workout is a long run. His most memorable race was the S-N-O-W Fun Run in Lake Geneva because he took first place in his age group for the 5 miles. His PR’s are 1 mile-5:45, 2 mile-12:50, 5K-21:03, 4 miles-28:00, 5 miles-34:36, 10K-45:00. Josh’s favorite sport other than running is basketball. His favorite sports hero is Khalid Khannouchi. His favorite subject in school is Social Studies and his favorite teacher was Mr. Homewood in 7th grade. When he is an adult he would like to be an engineer. His favorite musical group is JAY-Z. In his free time he collects basketball cards, likes to play Sony Playstation and listen to music.

Dennis Baliga is 10 and will be entering 5th grade this fall at King grade school. He likes to run with the team because he gets to be with his friends and have fun. He prefers not to run up long steep hills. His favorite place to run is Rock Cut State Park. His favorite workout is a 3-mile trail run. His most memorable running experience was last year’s nationals because there were so many people racing. His PR’s are 1 mile-6:42, 2 mile-14:22, 4 mile-32:11 and 5K-23:23. His favorite sport other than running is basketball. His favorite subject in school is gym. When he is not running Dennis likes to play on the computer and spend time with his friends.

Kassandra Swanson is 11 years old and is just finishing up 5th grade at Brookview School.  She is one of the original 1997 charter members of the Wildcats with the year 2001 being the 5th year that she has run with the team.  In the past 4 years she has qualified to run in four national cross country championships either at USATF or AAU.  The thing that she likes best about running is having fun with friends and running!!  The thing she likes the least about running is when it’s cold!!  Her favorite place to run is Dahlquist Park and her favorite work out is relays.  Her most memorable race was her first USATF national championships because she was only 7 years old and her shoe fell off.  Shoe loss is only one of the things that have happened to Kassandra while running.  She has a knack for falling and getting back up on the rough cross-country trails found in the Rockford area parks.  Her PR’s are:  3000 m – 12:32; 1 mile – 6:15.  In this year’s 2 mile Heritage Run her time was 14:13.  The sport that she likes best next to running is soccer and her current sports heroine is Mia Hamm.  She likes to watch basketball and her favorite team is the Lakers.  Her favorite subject in school is math and her favorite teacher is Mr. Talbott.  Her favorite food is pizza and she likes the musical group LFO.  When she becomes an adult she wants to be a famous runner!! Or a famous soccer player.  She also likes exclamation points.

John Liddell is 10 years old and is just finishing 4th grade at Maria Montessori School.  He has been running for 2 years and this is his second season with the Wildcats.  The thing that he likes best about running is that it’s fun and a good way to get exercise.  His favorite place to run is Sinnissippi Park and he likes long tempo runs. His most memorable race was the State Street Mile because it was his first race.  His PR’s are:  3000 m – 13:02 and 1 mile – 6:58.8.  His Heritage Run time for 2 miles this year was 15:38. The sport that he likes best next to running is football.  His favorite team is the Chicago Bears. His favorite sports hero is Walter Payton.  His favorite subject in school is math and his favorite teacher is Mrs. Gille.  When he becomes an adult he wants to design video games.  His favorite food is pizza.  His favorite musical groups are Sonic Flood and News Boys.  In his free time he likes to draw.  His mom is a teacher at his school.

Casey Bubert is 13 years old and is finishing 7th grade at West Middle School.  He has been running for 7 years and this is his second year as a Wildcat.  The thing he likes best about running is the scenery that he is running through. He ran a mile a day in the YMCA mileage club in grade school.  He thinks it is harder to find the time and a place to run in middle school.  His favorite place to run is Sinnissippi Park.  His time in the 2-mile at this year’s Heritage Run was 16:14.  The sport that he likes to do best besides running is tennis.  One year for a Christmas, birthday and graduation present he got a tennis court put in his backyard.  He excavated the site and filled the base with gravel himself.  His favorite professional sport is football and his favorite team is the Packers.  His favorite subject in school is science.  His favorite teacher is Mrs. Kinsley who he nominated for a Golden Apple Award and she won.  His favorite food is pizza and his favorite musical group is Creed.  Casey lives on a farm in Roscoe.  In his spare time he is active in scouting.  He also likes camping, hiking and canoeing.