A lot of running + Chipotle + Water + Guts = A great runner.
Photo by Kiera Classen
Rovel Berhe is a TJ Spartan who many people see every day, but the general public may not know that he is one of the top ten runners in the state.
Rovel started attending Thomas Jefferson High School in his sophomore year (2009-2010), after transferring from George Washington High School. He proudly proclaims that he loves Thomas Jefferson; he loves the coaches, he loves the teachers, and most of all he loves the people. Rovel’s life revolves around running. He says, “I’m not gonna lie, running is the most important thing to me.” His teammates know him as a very hard worker with some very big goals. Rovel’s fastest time for a 5k (which is approximately three miles) is 17:06. His goal for this year is to cut that time down by two minutes to a 15:45, which is the fastest time in 4A competition. He believes that if he is unable to attain this time by the end of the season it will be much harder for him to get a scholarship.
Rovel has another goal that exceeds the want for a 15:45 time. “I want to win state and I think I can do it. I have worked so hard I think I deserve to win state,” said Rovel, who clearly has a lot of belief in himself. “I have a big ego,” he explains, and many of his teammates confirm that statement.
“Rovel picks up the slack we all leave behind by how good he is,” teammate Keith Hussey said. “Rovel is a huge encouragement to the rest of the team; we all see him working so hard that he encourages us to work harder, too.”
Rovel further boasts with a confident grin, “I am the best runner TJ has ever seen.”
Rovel says that his biggest motivation when he runs is, “When people are faster than me I just make myself run faster so that I can pick them off one by one.” Rovel states that his favorite thing about running is the physical reward. “You feel so good when you are done; you feel stronger, and you know not many people can do what you are doing.”
Rovel runs cross-country for TJ, but he also plays basketball and runs track as well. He started running for TJ his sophomore year after he transferred. Dave Cohan, the track coach, and Wendy Doyle, the cross-country/track coach, both really encouraged him to run cross-country the next school year (2010). Rovel believes that Coach Cohan is the best coach he has ever had. “He really helped support me through injury; he helped keep me going. He even made a schedule for me this summer,” stated Rovel. “At the beginning of the summer it was hard, but then my brother started riding his bike next to me; that made it a lot easier. We normally did five to ten miles every day.”
Rovel mentions that his favorite thing about races is, well, winning. “I like seeing the competition that will be at state. And I’m not gonna lie, winning is the greatest! It just gives me the biggest confidence boost ever.” Rovel’s least favorite thing about running is, of course, losing “I don’t like it when I lose and get second or third or something, because you are just so close.” In Rovel’s mind losing is getting second or third. He announces, “I have a big ego so it bothers me to lose, because it destroys my reputation.” Rovel notes that destroying his good image as a runner is his biggest fear. He says that his biggest competitors in Denver Public schools are Jesus from John F. Kennedy and Brandon from Abraham Lincoln. Rovel insists that his junior year was the hardest for him to beat these boys. “I was not nearly as motivated that year. Over the summer I did not run all that much and it really hurt me later.”
Rovel is a huge supporter of both of his running sports, but he is indecisive when it comes to favorites. “I like cross-country because of the community. It’s like a family; you are with the same people every day. Track has faster races, though.” He then goes on to say, “Cross country, it makes you tired in class, but I try not to sleep in class.”
Rovel says his other interests besides running are playing basketball, playing video games, and community service at the library. Rovel also mentioned, “I have climbed two mountains this year, with my best friend and my brother. We climbed Mt. Evans and Mt. Elbert. They were both fourteen thousand feet…climbing is good cross training for me. It uses other muscles that I am not used to, but will help me in the end.”
Rovel said that he really is ready for college now, thanks to some special help he received. “My favorite thing about Thomas Jefferson is Ms. Rocha in the future center. She is helping me find a lot of scholarships. My dream school? If it could be anything, Oregon State. If not Oregon State then Colorado State University, because it is closer to home.” He also says he has lots of friends at TJ like Jamal Sheilds and Abraham Waldo. “I also hang out with college people; there is a lot more mixture and they get me in to everything.”
Rovel mentions that he has a tendency of telling people what to do. That belief proved true, when he requested that the closing statement for this article be his own words. “I’m just a boy out of suburbia Denver and I want to leave a legacy that will stay in this school forever so that more people will be inspired to push themselves to their full potential.”
