Unlikely Double Champion Quandt Makes Everything Work For Two State Championships

BENTONVILLE -- Sophie Quandt has joined the growing list of high school athletes that perform in multiple events and help their teams win more than one championship.

What could make the sophomore's quest stand out more than the others is she helped Bentonville capture state titles in two sports in two locations -- in the same day.

At A Glance

A Flight For Quandt

The following are the itineraries that Fred and Sophie Quandt devised in order for her to compete in the Class 7A State Cross Country Meet in Hot Springs and the State Dance Competition in Alma on Nov. 8.

Best Case

1:15-1:40 p.m. — Class 7A State Cross Country meet at Oaklawn Park

1:40-1:45 p.m. — Sophie boards car bound for Memorial Park Airport

1:45-1:55 p.m. — Car takes Sophie to airport

1:55-2 p.m. — Pre-flight preparations

2-2:35 p.m. — Flight time from Hot Springs to Fort Smith (Sophie does her makeup and hair during this time)

2:35-2:40 p.m. — Sophie boards car at Fort Smith Regional Airport

2:40-3 p.m. — Drive from Fort Smith To Alma (Sophie changes into jazz costume)

3:05 p.m. — Sophie joins Golden Tamers

Conservative Case

1:20-1:50 p.m. — Class 7A State Cross Country meet at Oaklawn Park

1:50-2 p.m. — Sophie boards car bound for Memorial Park Airport

2-2:15 p.m. — Car takes Sophie to airport

2:15-2:25 p.m. — Pre-flight preparations

2:25-3:05 p.m. — Flight time from Hot Springs to Fort Smith (Sophie does her makeup and hair during this time)

3:05-3:10 p.m. — Sophie boards car at Fort Smith Regional Airport

3:10-3:40 p.m. — Drive from Fort Smith To Alma (Sophie changes into jazz costume)

3:45 p.m. — Sophie joins Golden Tamers

Quandt ran at the Class 7A State Cross Country meet on Nov. 8 in Hot Springs and helped the Lady Tigers win that title, then hurried to Alma to help the Golden Tamers do the same thing at the State Dance Competition later that day -- with little time to spare.

"Actually, it still hasn't settled in yet," Quandt said Wednesday. "That day, I was just running on adrenalin. It was a crazy day and I was really blessed that my coaches allowed me to do it and my teams pulled it off. It was great."

A Plan Comes Together

Quandt had known for quite some time the state championships for cross country and dance were going to be held the same day. The last thing she wanted to do was choose between the two events. However, the distance between Hot Springs and Alma is 143 miles, and there is no easy route between the cities.

Quandt and her parents were determined to make the schedule work -- even if it meant arranging for a private plane to fly her between the two events. She then caught her first big break when the Class 7A girls cross country meet was scheduled for 1:15 p.m. that day, and the first dance routine was slated for 4 p.m.

"Sophie has worked so hard and was determined to compete in both if there was any way possible," said Fred Quandt, Sophie's father. "Once it looked like there was a way, we really investigated the chartering of a private plane and working on every logistical element of the trip, with Sophie and I literally creating a minute-by-minute itinerary one Sunday."

They formed two plans, but neither of them had a lot of room for error. The younger Quandt was expected to leave Oaklawn Park shortly after her cross country race and head to Memorial Park Airport, where she would catch a plane to Fort Smith Regional Airport to meet her mother Stephanie, who would drive her to Alma.

The next step was to present the plans to Sophie's coaches. Bentonville cross country coach Randy Ramaker, who is accustomed to sharing some of his athletes with other sports, embraced the idea and gave Quandt his full support, but dance coach Caroline Adkins admitted she wasn't so sure about it at first.

"At first I thought it was fine because I thought cross country races were in the morning and Alma wasn't too far away," Adkins said. "Then I find out the race is in Hot Springs and in the middle of the day, so I didn't think she could get there.

"My first thought was panic and thinking what we were going to do because Sophie plays a big role in our dance team. Then they started to talk about the plan, and it made a lot of sense."

Off And Running

There were a number of things that could have caused Quandt to become distracted as she prepared to run the Class 7A state cross country meet.

She could have had her mind on racing through Hot Springs to get to the airport instead of racing along the Oaklawn Park course, or the flight that awaited. She could have been pondering about all her moves and dance steps she had to perform that day in Alma once she got there.

Instead, she remained totally focused on what was immediately in front of her.

"I just tried to focus on one thing at a time," Quandt said. "I just tried to focus on our goal for cross country -- winning, of course -- and after the race, my mind could immediately go to dance.

"My goal, as coach Ramaker always says, is to run my race and don't leave anything -- empty out the whole gas tank and leave it all. That was hard, knowing I needed some energy left for dance, but that's what I did. I went out and ran my hardest."

The strategy worked, and it helped the Oaklawn Park course is one of her favorites. She matched her personal-best over a 5-kilometer course and finished in a time of 19 minutes, 54.6 seconds, good enough for ninth place and all-state honors.

Her time was just four seconds behind teammate Trinity Walker, who finished fifth, and helped Bentonville win the state title by a five-point margin over second-place finisher Rogers High. Had she been four seconds slower, she would have finished 13th, and the Lady Tigers might not have won.

"I've had some experience with Sophie through track and cross country, and in big meets she performs," Ramaker said. "I really wasn't too concerned about her because I knew she would focus on one, then go to the other.

"She ran a solid race. Her time was good. For her it's a matter of how fast she can take it out and maintain it to the end of the race, then be there to sprint past a few people at the end of the race. She got where she needed to be, and when she finished, she kept on going."

Time To Fly

When Quandt left Oaklawn Park that day, she had no idea what she had accomplished or that she helped Bentonville earn the state championship. She immediately had another race ahead of her -- the one to get to the rental car that awaited her, then get to the airport.

"I was just thinking in my head that I couldn't let my teammates down, and I would get there as fast as I can," Quandt said. "I think I stopped for a minute after the race and rested, then I said let's go."

A bonus came when the driver not only took her to the airport, but drove the car next to the awaiting plane and cut extra minutes. She then boarded the plan with her father and her sister, Lainey, for the 45-minute flight to Alma, where she spent the time to fix her hair and apply her makeup.

It didn't end there. Sophie's mother, Stephanie, had a car waiting upon arrival in Fort Smith, then Sophie used the time between Fort Smith and Alma to change from her cross country uniform to her dance uniform.

"From a margin of error standpoint, coach Ramaker knew we had to be in the air by 2:15," Fred Quandt said. "If the races were delayed at all that Sophie wouldn't get to run. Luckily it all worked out, and I am amazed by how calm Sophie was throughout the day."

It was during the flight that Sophie found out Bentonville had won the cross country title and where she placed. Meanwhile, they were also trying to keep Adkins updated with the progress on the trip.

There was just one problem: Adkins wasn't receiving the texts being sent to her.

"I didn't have cell service," she said. "The Alma basketball arena is sort of underground, but I was confident she was going to get there on time."

Dancing To Victory

Adkins also did her part to give Quandt the time she needed to get to Alma. She asked the competition's director if Bentonville could go last during the jazz part of the competition, and that request was granted.

"The jazz routine is one of our strongest routines, and it was Sophie's strongest routine," Adkins said. "She plays a big role in the jazz dance. It also helped that it didn't start until 4:30, when it normally starts at noon."

The Golden Tamers won the jazz portion, as well as the high kick and pom divisions. That led to Bentonville winning the competition, with Bryant finishing second.

Adkins was complimentary on the job Quandt did on the dance floor, but the sophomore admitted it completely wore her out.

"I was totally running on adrenalin," Quandt said. "After such a busy day, I slept until 1:15 p.m. that Sunday. I don't even remember eating because I was so hyper. I was so ready to run and ready to dance.

"Overall, I think I stayed pretty calm through it all. I was tired, but at the same time, I wasn't worried. I had faith everything was going to work out."

Sports on 11/23/2014

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