Normally this column is a venue to catch up with former Champlain Valley or Rice Memorial high school student-athletes who are continuing their sports careers in college.

Such is not the case this week for a simple reason: Laura Borys didn't participate in athletics at CVUHS. She was much more into dance and costume design for dance and theater.

Now, four years later, she still maintains an avid interest in the arts, especially costume design. When she leaves Goucher College in Towson (Md.), "I'll see where that takes me," she said. "I'm really interested in the arts and I want to explore the intellectual side a little bit."

Yet she will also leave behind a four-year career as a runner in cross country and track, a pursuit she now wishes had begun at a much earlier age.

"I would have been just totally surprised if you had told me I would compete in college level cross country," said Borys, a Shelburne native. "Oh, my god, I'm not an athlete.

"I see how far I've come and I have so much regret. I wish I had discovered this earlier. It would have changed my life a little bit," said Borys, a senior at Goucher. "I think everybody should do it once."

After leaving CVU, Borys said, her interest in dancing diminished a bit and "I just wanted to try something new." The Goucher cross country program was pretty much open to anyone willing to invest time and interest and "I've always liked to run," she said.

"I didn't have to try out. It was just a new experience and I went for it," Borys said. "It turned out to be fun."

Borys is the first to admit "I'm not really a top runner," but as one of two seniors, she sees her role as a veteran who can be "very supportive and kind of a source for younger students."

"I've done a lot at school. I've experienced a lot of different departments, so freshmen and sophomores can come and see me," she said.

Still, something that began as pretty much a fun time quickly became a passion. "When I first started running, it really wasn't a priority. Once I found I liked it, it became a priority and I was really committed to the team," she said.

Adjusting to the demands of practicing every day and competing every week was a challenge for Borys in her freshman year. "I had never run with that intensity," she said, adding, "I would just run randomly and I had never raced before.

"It's such a learning experience. I didn't realize how much I didn't know about running. It took a toll physically with running and racing and self-induced stress," she said. "It's interesting putting your body through that.

"My coach was so patient. He told me it was going to be hard. He said it would be frustrating, but he was there for you," Borys said.

As her running improved, her confidence grew, she said. "I feel like running is the ultimate sport. You learn things about yourself, you're on a team but you're also an individual," Borys said. "Everything about running can be a metaphor for other things.

"It's a long process being a distance runner and it's a whole other thought process. Things take time and because they take time, you shouldn't give up," she said, adding that perseverance and endurance were two critical qualities she had gained.

Borys, who has run the 800 and 1,500 in track and is interested in trying steeplechase, is often the sixth or seventh runner for her team in meets. Even finishing in those positions helps her team because of the displacement value. "Even if I'm not a point scorer, I contribute to the team and try to keep a positive attitude," she said. "I try to lead by example, helping (younger runners) to eat well, try hard in practice and communicate if an issue comes up."

This year, Borys had had an even greater challenge since "our team is extremely talented ... and really young," but she set a personal record for 5K race early in the season.

For Borys, though, it's not the finishes that matter most; instead, it's been an experience she could never have imagined in her high school days.

Contact Ted Ryan at TedRyanVT@aol.com with information on local collegiate student-athletes.