CROSS COUNTRY Memorial senior coaching from sideline while out with injury

Staff Writer akemp@oklahoman.com

Bailey Robinson stood outside the ropes of the course with a clipboard in her hands, screaming at the top of her lungs.

“You guys are 20th and 21st,” she yelled as two Edmond Memorial runners whizzed past her. “You need to pick it up.”

At first glance you might assume Robinson was the coach for Edmond Memorial the way she hollers instructions and keeps track of the girls’ cross country team members as they make their way across the three-mile course.

In reality though, Robinson is one of the team’s top runners and has been forced to the sideline for the past few weeks as she recovers from fatigue after not taking a break between the track season and cross country season.

“It’s not ideal,” Robinson said. “I’d rather be out there running but my coach says I need to get my rest and be ready and healthy for later in the year.”

Memorial coach Sunny Baldridge would like nothing more than to have Robinson on the course.

Robinson is one of the top returning runners for Memorial, having run as Memorial’s third runner for most of last season. Baldridge said she was expecting Robinson and sophomore Veagan Jones to help lead the team this year.

To start the year Robinson delivered, finishingthird overall at an earlyseason race at Piedmont.

But Baldridge said she noticed little nagging injuries creeping up on Robinson after she pushed through her recuperation period between track season and cross country season.

“She just wasn’t running like we knew she was capable of so I asked her to take a break,” Baldridge said. “What I didn’t know was how valuable she would be on the sidelines.”

While she was eager to run again, Robinson started working with the younger runners for Edmond Memorial, coaching them through situations she had faced on the course herself and pushing them in practice to get better.

“Honestly, I hope when I’m ready to come back all the younger girls are ahead of me and I have to battle to get a spot back,” Robinson said. “Nothing would make me happier than to know we are better as a team.”

Baldridge said she doubts that’ll be the case and says Robinson started back running with the team this week.

“She’s a leader and I’m really proud of her for helping out the younger girls during her time off,” Baldridge said. “Now I’m ready to see her back on the course.”