News & Announcements
Indians of the Week: October 3-8
TFS has named the Indian of the Week for the week of October 3-8. This week's selections are Miranda Chapa and Eli Damron for high school, and Madison Phillips & Ryan Anderson for middle school. MORE INDIANS OF THE WEEK
Miranda Chapa - Cross Country
In addition to clearing being the TFS Lady Indians leader, Miranda Chapa has put in more miles and more preparation time than any female in TFS cross country history. Miranda is the epitome of GREAT, influencing her teammates by example, by work ethic, by a relentless pursuit to be her best, and by connecting in a real way with her peers. As a side note, Miranda now has the Tallulah Gorge south side stairs record; she has run them 12 times in a row with a total time of 2:33:51, recording one more flight than present US Naval Academy harrier Evan Prince (11 in 1:51). She placed 53rd of 266 female runners at the Mountain Invite in a season best and near personal record time; the next day she finished 16th of 93 at the Wesleyan Invite. Whether via resistance training, long runs, nutrition, recovery mechanisms, or mental toughness, Miranda sets the standard in the girls' harrier program. -coach Scott Neal
Eli Damron - cross country
Newcomer Eli Damron has consistently applied himself to improvement throughout the season. With distinct experience overcoming obstacles throughout his life, the challenge of running with discomfort fits his mature worldview. He never has an excuse, only a better plan, and that outlook significantly serves the team. At back-to-back meets this week, he ran his personal record at the Mountain Invite on a fast, short course then came back at the Wesleyan Invite to run a more challenging course within 17 seconds of the previous day. Poise, persistence, and purposeful describe traits Eli contributes to the life of the cross country team! -coach Scott Neal
Madison Phillips - Tennis
The Lady Indian of the week for middle school tennis is Madison Olivia Phillips. Madison has easily been our best player this season. We honestly have kind of taken her for granted this season as we had very high expectations for her. She always came ready to play, and Madison had an outstanding record at #1 singles this season. In the semifinals match, Madison dominated her opponent from Macon County 8-4. The last two times they had played Madison had won 9-7 and narrowly the next time in a tiebreak. The best part was, before the match, she was a GREAT leader by trying to help her team focus and have the right approach. She was a veteran on the team, and we expect a lot from her moving into her high school career. -coach Anthony Cox
Ryan Anderson - Cross Country
Eighth-grader Ryan Anderson placed seventh to help TFS to a runner-up finish at the Tri-State Championship two days after placing 63rd of 366 middle school harriers as the TFS #1 finisher at the Mountain Invite, helping the Indians to a 13th place finish out of 22 scoring schools. Ryan, a newcomer to cross country, has been the most steady and strategic TFS runner all season. A quick, efficient, and enthusiastic learner, Ryan matured well as a distance runner because he remained focused on the daily task at hand, remained poised in all circumstances, and learned to manage the inherent discomfort allied with being a good harrier. -coach Scott Neal