CROSS COUNTRY THOUGHTS
from Coach Janice Howell
by Daniel Kent
There is something exciting about 40 athletes plunging forward as the gun goes off at a cross country meet...and that is a small meet! I've competed at cross country competitions that have over 100 runners at the starting line! if you've never been to a cross country meet, you're really missing something. There is a sense of tension as everyone steps up to a line painter across a strip of grass marking the starting point of a 2.5 or 3.1 mile race. Everyone bounces to loosen muscles or gets a few last sprints out from the starting line to prepare for the mad dash of the first 100 meters of the race. Each runner is stretching for that prime position in the pack where they can successfully compete with the runners around them. You never know what might be happening in that jostling pack. Some get spiked, some get elbowed, someone might trip and go down. Each has a mind set to be the first to break out of the group and take the lead. As the runners get set into their pace, smaller packs begin to separate themselves from the main body of runners. Each of these is a race unto themselves. If you're in the back of the pack, you want to work your way through them and push to the next pack. There is always a goal to reach to reach for-the next batch of competitors! Meets can be run on anything from a prime golf course to a field on someone's farm. I've even competed at a junk yard in Kearney! Every venue has its own interesting features, and there is always some way to follow the runners. So get out and support the cross country runners this year. There is nothing like a cross country meet!
by Coach Howell
