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Athlete's setback puts team in stronger position

Staff photo by BILL WARD

Bo Nalsen has developed into one of the county's top performers and stepped in as helmsman of the state-ranked Panthers.

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By BILL WARD

wward@tampatrib.com

Published: October 28, 2009

TAMPA - Plant High's boys cross-country team suffered a serious loss to begin the season when No. 1 runner Trenor Wilkins learned his legs had stress fractures.

Since then, junior Bo Nalsen has done much to fill the void. While Wilkins recovers and hopes to rejoin the squad this season, Nalsen has developed into one of Hillsborough County's top performers and stepped in as helmsman of the state-ranked Panthers.

"We all still really miss Trenor, but it has given me a chance to know what it will be like next year," Nalsen said. "I know now what it's going to be like to be the team leader and how my training will be without him."

Once he learned of Wilkins' injury, Panthers coach Mike Boza began looking for a silver lining in the setback to his squad.

Realizing the loss could jeopardize his team's goal of finishing in the top three of the Class 4A state finals, Boza knew Nalsen - and the entire squad - could be propelled to new heights by Wilkins' temporary absence.

"When we first found out Trenor would be gone for most of the season, we wanted to use this to make us better than we would've been," Boza said. "The idea was, people would come up to fill the void and, Trenor being Trenor, he would get back close to where he was fitness-wise and we would actually be a better team - as if he had never been gone.

"I know that sounds like pie in the sky, but little by little it seems like we're making it happen."

Give a lot of the credit to Wilkins, who after learning of his injury went to the swimming pool and cross-trained. He not only did the usual deep-water "aqua jogging" using a flotation vest, he also did traditional distance training with the Panthers swim team.

Six weeks later, it appears Wilkins will rejoin the cross-country team. He has clearance to run every other day and continues to cross-train on the days he doesn't run.

With a medical waiver from the Florida High School Athletics Association, Wilkins will be able to forgo the typical requirement of four regular season meets and join the Panthers in time for next month's district, regional and state meets.

Meanwhile, Nalsen has made huge strides this season, slicing more than 30 seconds off his 5-kilometer best to run 16 minutes, 1 second, at the Flrunners.com Invitational. He was solid again at the Pre-State Invitational, running 16:16 to finish in the top 30.

But it has not been easy for Nalsen to do it alone. At most team workouts, Nalsen is leading the Panthers' pack, either in interval training or race-pace runs. Most elite runners who train in a group will admit it's easier to be pulled along by the leader than to be the leader.

True to his laid-back nature, Nalsen says it's no big deal to be the top guy on his team.

"It's not a burden at all," Nalsen said. "The rest of the guys on this team are still there to support me and push me."

Boza said the new role fits Nalsen's personality as a runner.

"Bo already has kind of a collegiate personality," Boza said. "He trains like a college runner. Bo doesn't need what most high school guys need to train properly - other runners to push him. You can give him a piece of paper, tell him what to do and Bo would follow it to the letter."

Reporter Bill Ward can be reached at (813) 259-7456.

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