“POULSBO – All the hard work paid off. Jim Robson and Divina Ormsby both worked this summer to improve themselves. They ran and practiced to make sure they would be ready for North Kitsap High School’s first cross-country meet. The work showed Thursday, as Ormsby and Robson were the two top finishers for the North squad, who faced Port Townsend and Bremerton High Schools. The meet was held at Poulsbo Junior High, and the athletes ran through a winding track more than a mile long. Ormsby finished sixth overall in the girls’ division with a time of 22:19. Robson was sixth in the boys’ with 16:58. It was a pretty good time for a first meet, Robson said. It was a good first meet for me. Robson trained this summer by running. A friend’s dad even set up a six-mile course for him to run through. I ran all summer, Robson said. He said the North Kitsap runners started Thursday’s race in a pack, then began to separate as the race went on. Some Port Towsend runners sprinted ahead. Letting them do that was one of the few mistakes he made, Robson said. I started out OK and was doing good, he said, but I might have let them get too far ahead. Robson thinks the team will get even stronger as more people compete in the next meet. We’ll have more people next week. We’ll be more of a team, he said. Ormsby, a tenth-grader, was happy with her time of 22:10. That’s pretty good. It’s a minute better than the blackberry run, she said, referring to a race she ran in the summer. Ormsby thought the home course was an advantage. I like this course because it’s home. I’m used to it. Ormsby also had family support. Her father came out to watch her run – a feat made easier by the course itself. Someone can see you all the time, Ormsby said of the open course. It gives you motivation. Ormsby, who is 15, has been training like Robson. In fact, she has been training with him to become a better runner. I’ve been training a lot over the summer, she said. It gave me a chance to improve my time. Head Coach Katie Savage was pleased with Ormsby’s performance. Divina did awesome. She ran very comfortably, Savage said. She shares similar feelings about the event as a whole. I think everything went pretty smoothly, she said. I think the kids are seeing that it’s early in the season, and we have some work to do conditioning-wise. Savage also praised the running of Russ Tamm, Colin Olson and Kyle Steward, along with the work all the volunteers and parents did. Especially, Savage added, the work of Sue Ocken, who has worked hard to volunteer with the team. Savage is also happy so many parents showed up at Poulsbo Junior High to watch their children run, even in the rain. The cross country team next runs at the Salt Creek Invite at 9 a.m. on Sept. 16. Overall standings by North Kitsap Runners: Boys: 6. Jim Robson, 16:58. 2. Colin Olson, 17:24. 3. Kyle Steward, 18:41. Girls: 6. Divina Ormsby, 22:19. 7. Stephanie Haydon, 23:06. 9. Natalie Ward, 24:01. 10. Eir Van Kleek, 24:23. Ellie Piper, 26:43. “