The Lewis County Board of Commissioners honored another Lewis County state champion at the beginning of its weekly business meeting Tuesday.
Victoria Sancho, the 2B girls 200-meter dash state champion from Winlock High School, got a chance to speak during the meeting. She shared a bit about her experiences as a track athlete and what she enjoys about the sport.
The high school junior, soon to be a senior, left the 1B/2B/1A Washington State Track and Field Championships in Yakima with her first state title in the 200-meter dash and also claimed second place in the 100-meter dash and third place in the triple jump event.
Stepping up to the microphone in the back of the commissioners meeting room, Sancho introduced herself and her supporters — her mother, brother and two coaches — before talking about her season.
Sancho talked about her journey as a track athlete from originally not wanting to compete as a runner to now becoming a state champion.
“I started running my freshman year, and I didn't really want to do it, but it just became something I enjoyed because I was, I turned out to be, really good at it,” Sancho said. “My freshman year, I qualified for state and I placed I think like fifth and sixth for the 100 and the 200. After that, I just kind of started to really like track.”
She spoke about her passion for the sport and enjoying competing as an individual.
“I like the environment,” Sancho said. “The individuality of the sport, and I just, it makes me feel really accomplished when I (reach a personal record) in my events because I did it myself, and I don't have to rely on a team like a team sport like soccer or something.”
After she spoke, Lewis County Commissioner Lindsey Pollock shared that Commissioner Sean Swope was a track athlete. To that, Swope shared that he loved the long jump and triple jump. He smiled as he claimed that he was not fast enough for the sprinting events such as the 100- and 200-meter dashes.
Before leaving the meeting, Sancho and her supporters posed with Pollock and Swope for photos to commemorate the young athlete’s achievements.
