EVERYTHING
FOR YOUR FAMILY
|
| ||||
|
Get in the Game
|
||||
|
Building a life through cross country It sometimes seems that cross country is less visible than other school sports. Fewer students are aware of the cross country team, fewer spectators come to see the meets, and fewer cross country stories appear in the sports pages. One reason might be that cross country has to compete with football, and football draws attention. Many sports fans will declare that football is the big fall sport, and everything else falls behind. Also, cross country meets aren’t easy to view from a single vantage point, although the starts and finishes rival an 80-yard punt return. The running course is spread out over hill and dale, and much of the race takes place out of sight. Spectators who don’t do a little cross country scrambling themselves will miss some of the key moments of a distance race. It’s a sport that asks more of its spectators than sitting in a stadium. However, the payoff is keen. Last year in Orange County, cross country shed some of its little-sport stigma with the emergence of Annie St. Geme. She was a state champion and the Orange County Register’s Athlete of the Year. According to the Register, “St. Geme dominated the Orange County girls’ distance-running scene as few others have.” The Stanford-bound student from Costa Mesa was one of those notable runners who occasionally emerge to bring the sport of cross country into the spotlight. That spotlight is well-deserved because cross country is one of the bravest, most underappreciated, and ultimately rewarding of sports. Legendary runners such as Steve Prefontaine, who once appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, leave a lingering image in the minds of those who’ve seen them race, long after they’re gone. Some history Cross country has its roots in the old Hare and Hound running clubs in England. At today’s high school meets, teams of runners race across an approximate 3-mile course. All the runners start at once, charging over the first couple hundred feet to a point where the course narrows and restricts the flow of runners. From there, the course follows a path, marked by flags and lines, up and down over rough terrain, to a finish line. The scoring of a cross country meet can be a bit of a mystery to spectators. Each runner scores points as he or she finishes the course. The fastest runner earns one point; second fastest, two points; and so on. As in golf, the team with the lowest total score wins. A score of 15 to 40 indicates a dominant performance by the team with 15 points (faster runners) over the team with 40 points (slower runners). The basic idea is that the team with the most runners finishing at the front of the pack is the winner. So, while individual in effort, it is team-like in result. Nick Blake is a senior who runs cross country at Trabuco Hills High School. I asked him if he thought the sport was underappreciated at his school. “Yes, absolutely, cross country gets almost no respect or attention at my school, but it is one step up from being in the band.” Nick would like to see more spectators at cross country meets: “I think the amount of attention does matter. For me personally, if I know someone special, like a girl I like, is watching, I will run a lot faster. Or if I know my dad is there, it helps me push my body to the limits when I hear his encouraging comments or tips from the side of the road.” When asked what he likes best about cross country, Nick said, “I like the competition and races. I like the feeling I get after I have run a personal best or just know I gave it my all. There is no other feeling like it in the world.” And what does Nick like least? “Putting in all the miles when it is really hot.” Fast, and in shape My niece Alexa Kries is a junior at Capistrano Valley High in Mission Viejo, entering her third year of cross country, and her second year of track. Her running accomplishments grew naturally out of her desire to get in shape a few years back. She started jogging for the sake of personal improvement and soon found herself trying out for the high school team. Regarding spectator attendance at cross country meets, Alexa said, “I don’t mind that not that many people are watching.” She runs for the physical challenges and the personal relationships found in cross country, rather than for widespread recognition. Like many Southern California runners, Alexa has been to the mecca of cross country, the Mt. SAC Cross Country Invitational. It’s the largest race of its kind in the world and it’s held at Mt. San Antonio College near Los Angeles. The course and the competition there is world-renowned, and not for the weak of feet. “Mt. SAC is a tough course. Plus there are so many runners, you have to start the race stacked up behind other runners in a box, instead of side by side. That makes it difficult to pass the people in front of you.” Another staple of Southern California cross country runners is summer training camp at Mammoth. The 8,000-foot elevation and the mountainous terrain combine to push runners to their limits and put them on the fast track to getting in shape for the fall season. “They say it’s harder to run in Mammoth, but the running doesn’t really seem harder to me,” says Alexa. “The hardest part is that you have to get up at 6 a.m., eat breakfast at 6:30, and start running by 7. And then we run again in the afternoon.” She’s been to several summer running camps now, and looks forward to the social aspects: “The best part of running camp is making friends and meeting all the new freshmen.” Ingrid Herskind, a cross country coach at a Southern California private school, would agree. In an article on her school’s website, she says what most runners appreciate about the sport is the undiluted personal challenge more than the recognition of playing to a packed stadium: “It’s a pure sport...It’s just you and how far you can go, how fast you can go, and how deep you can dig,” Herskind says. “Even though you’re on a team, it comes down to you against the course, you against the clock.” Season on the run Annie St. Geme has moved on to college in Northern California this year, but her younger sister is following in her footsteps. Other runners from all around Southern California will be charging up hill and dale beginning this month to see who will be the next one to raise this noble little sport into the spotlight. If it doesn’t happen, that’s OK, because for many runners the main goal is the personal satisfaction of a difficult race well run. In fact, gather around a youth cross country team as they begin practice – the Tustin-based Equalizers, a club that works with pre-high school athletes, is an example – and you will notice a quiet introspection. Athletes are stretching more than they are talking. And when they run, while they chat a bit, they don’t chat a lot. That’s the mindset of the sport. Sort of the anti-football, where yelling, growling and whooping become part of a season’s backdrop. David Bender was once a college All-American runner and a member of a national champion cross country team. He’s now coaching a college team, and he recently stated in an article for his school’s paper, “Running cross country may not guarantee success on the trail, but it will provide you with a lifetime template for strength, courage, and discipline to confront life’s challenges.” David Kries of Mission Viego is a regular contributor. For Letters: ocfamily.com and click on Feedback. |
||||
RSS SubscribeSEARCH THE SITE
