SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis junior runner Liv Walbeck might be more country than cross but that is fine with her. She has lots of developing talents and is not afraid to step out in the spotlight.
"I run cross country to stay active and meet new people," said Walbeck. "I really love the comradery and I love Coach Aaron (Rios). I am not a top runner by any means but doing the sport and participating are other ways to keep me well-rounded. It helps me focus because I do better when I am busy and have a lot on my plate."
Walbeck is in her third season on the team, running in 19 races over the last three seasons. She recently posted her best performance of the season with her finish at the Capital Cross Challenge.
"Liv always comes to practice and meets with a positive attitude and always does her best to inspire those around her," said Head Cross Country Coach Aaron Rios. "She always wears a smile and loves her SF sisters."
While she does not have podium finishes among her goals, she certainly has taken to the stage lately.
Walbeck was recently named Miss Teen Placer County in a pageant competition over the summer.
"I am family friends with (alumna) Samantha Gallia '16 and she was Miss Teen Placer County in 2015," recalled Walbeck. "We became good friends and she encouraged me to do the pageant. She said she would compete for Miss Placer County if I did Miss Teen. We could do it together. We both ended up winning."
Walbeck, who will hold the title until June 2019, won the best essay and interview portions of the competition that included gown and swimsuit categories. She wrote the essay about her grandma "who is her guardian angel".
While the Placer County pageant did not have a talent portion, Walbeck is an aspiring singer. She gravitates to her favorite genre of country and even has her own YouTube channel featuring some of her covers. She has performed the national anthem with the St. Francis Acapella group at Holy Court and had a recent solo anthem performance at a local BMC event.
"I have been singing forever and I play guitar and write my own songs and play a little piano," said Walbeck. "Acapella is a lot of fun, bouncing off each other and we are doing a lot of cool arrangements. Knowing one another and being better friends has been cool for our singing."
Walbeck will sing the national anthem at the St. Francis Volleyball Senior Night on Oct. 16.
For now, she is staying busy with school and cross country while doing appearances for Placer County. She loves meeting little girls and others in the community. But she has been inspired by her crown and the new experiences it has afforded her.
"I am taking it day by day," said Walbeck of her career choice. "I would love to be a singer/songwriter, someone in that scene. Doing the pageants has helped me realize I love talking and meeting people. I want to do something with that and my music. It has helped spark an interest in fashion. I love to dress up more and do my hair makeup. (I see myself) somewhere putting that all together and that will be what I end up doing."
With the cross country season approaching its championship schedule, she is looking forward to more runs with her Troubie sisters.
"I tell people I do cross country and they are surprised," said Walbeck. "It is so fun. Our hype team as we call it is super insane. We have a really strong love for everyone."
