Running
on about Cross Country
Veteran Athletes Share Distance
Mantra Thoughts,
Experience
This
article was written by Diane Dunn (04) just before her departure
to training camp in her freshman year at UC San Diego. Diane was a member
of the 2003 California State Champion and Nationally ranked Falcon cross
country squad. She also appears on the College Park record board in the
800m, 1600m, 3200m, 3200m Relay, 6400m Relay, and Distance Medley Relay.
Diane and her teammates set the California State record for the 4 x Mile
Relay in 2004.
This team has meant the world to me. It has given me opportunities and experiences that I never would have dreamed. All four years of course weren’t a breeze, but looking back, I loved every single second of it.
I love the fire that burned in my quads the very first time I did figure eights. I love the memory of my first race, no matter how slow my time was. I love the way the gun still makes me jump sometimes. I love winning races, ditching runs to go eat candy (although I will never again admit to that or recommend it to anyone) and jumping the canal. I love traveling with my team, being looked up to by other teams because of who we are and what we stand for, and I love singing stupid songs. I love our traditions, superstitions, and even the purple hair.
I even love failing, yes failing, to sometimes achieve my own or a team goal, so that we could take a step back, think about what we were doing, become more determined, and then proceed to succeed in an unexpected fashion where we had previously failed.
I loved succeeding, and the teamwork, sweat, determination and care that went along with it. I have loved every single second of my time with this team.
Now, I’m moving on to college, and…gasp, I’m one step closer to the real world. But, I think I’m ready for it. Everyone that you meet through this team and through running has something to teach you. Cherish what you learn through the sport and the people you meet and you will succeed.
–Diane Dunn (04)
This article by Betsy Sale (01) originaly appeared on the Falcon Track & Cross Country discussion board on August 2, 2002. Betsy was a member of the 1999 NCS Championship squad, and team captain of the 2000 CIF Championship qualifiers for CPHS.
Hello all! My name is Betsy Sale and I graduated from CP in 2001 and then moved on to Cal Poly in SLO. I have to say that being a member of the cross country squad contributed greatly to my high school life, a time I would describe as nothing less than spectacular. I am proud to call myself an avid runner still.
I have some thoughts that I would like to share with all of you... the future of the falcon cross country program. I remain a stranger to most of you, I hope I have a chance to make friends with you at some of the summer runs. (I am that crazy chic who insists on running home from the Briones entrances.) Whether you are a freshman or a senior, take a moment to hear me out.
Please enjoy every minute of your Cross Country careers... and take advantage of every opportunity that is presented to you. Even when you are running along Alhambra Blvd. and feeling lousy in the 90 degree heat... anticipate the satisfaction you will feel down the road (pun intended I guess).
Enjoy the competition, although I know how it feels when you just don’t feel like racing ever again. Many of us lack the talent to continue our careers as runners in college, and for this reason, high school may be your last chance to taste sweet victory, or even bitter defeat. Love it.
Remember that having a tightly knit team to run with makes the long ones seem more bearable, and that your fellow runners may be the very truest friends. I have said this before... I think there is something about working hard that brings us closer as friends, maybe the sweat brings the truth out in a person.
Maybe most importantly, take the time to recall fond memories... and cherish the joy that they bring you. I had a GREAT time in high school, but I only faintly remember the crazy parties, prom, etc... but I truly enjoyed the time I spent with Chuck and the rest of the team. Take a camera along with you to meets and try to immortalize those memories.
I love college and I am sure you all will love being high school grads too, but live in the moment while you still can. And run fast, okay!!!
ps. Chuck continues to take the cake for my favorite quote (he may have said it the very best)... “Cross country has provided me with countless moments of perfection.” And so it has.
–Betsy Sale (01)
The next four articles are selected from athlete diaries kept during the 2003 Humboldt Running Camp.
WHY
DO I RUN?
In my freshman year I could not have told you why I run. Perhaps it was because my best friends were doing it, and I didn't want to be a quitter. By my sophomore year, both of my friends were gone and I was the only one of us that showed up on the first day of practice. Junior year I almost quit too. It seemed pointless. I didn't feel like I was contributing to the team. Now I am at running camp, going into my senior year, and I can tell you why I run.
You may not understand, but I finally do. Do you know that feeling after a run, when it is such a relief that you finished without walking, and you know each day will only get easier? That is why I run. Have you experienced that runner's high on that rare run when you don't even realize where you are, or how far you have gone, because you find that amazing inner peace that makes you forget everything and relax? That is why I run. Or the time you ran past the huge group of teammates at a meet, and even the people who don't know you are rooting you on? That is why I run. There is a feeling you get when you look up and see Finale hill, and then you attack it like a banchee, reach the top, and know that you are minutes from the finish. That is why I run. I run because of the way it makes my body look and feel. Because friendships I have made here are true and will last. Because I like making my team and my coach proud. But mostly, I run because it is something I never imagined I would love. I never thought I would last a season, let alone four years. I run because I want to prove to myself that I can do it, and that I can do it well. I run because it teaches me to be stronger, more independent, and it makes me feel good. I run to be happy.
–Nicole Ehritt (04)
HOW AM I CONNECTED?
Every day at practice I work hard. I run with my teammates. We put the effort in together. Doing this creates a certain respect and bond between us. I feel connected with my team and welcome others that are willing to put themselves on the line and work hard.
–Liz
Noey (04)
WHY
DO I RUN?
I run because I like the feeling that comes from setting and achieving goals during the competitive season. I also like the camaraderie with the people I run with every week. I like being a part of a group of people who have the same goals as I do, and who want to accomplish the same things. Also, running keeps me in shape. It makes me feel like I'm doing something worthwhile with my time. Running also helps me to be more disciplined in other things I do. I have to sacrifice a lot of things to be able to run. It is something I know I will continue to do throughout my life. Even though there are always those times when I say, "What am I doing out here?", there are other times that remind me exactly why I am here.
–Chandley
Partridge (05)
In eighth grade I signed up for cross country because some of the athletes came and talked at Valley View. I don't really remember what they said, but I do remember thinking that one of the boys was cute, so I signed up.
I also joined the team because my dad is a runner and he competed in high school and encouraged me to join. He always told me that it was a great sport and that it was challenging, but fun.
I have stayed with cross country for many reasons. It is challenging not only physically, but mentally. That's the thing I like best about this sport other than the people. Plus it is something I can do for the rest of my life.
–Andrea Soto (05)
The following articles originally appeared in the August issue of the 2000 Cross Country newsletter.
Cross
Country has taken me numerous places and shown me many new things. It
has introduced me to the world of high school sports, to which I would
be unfamiliar had I not joined this team. It has taught me the importance
of commitment, perseverance, teamwork and friendship.
It
has brought me closer to myself and the people around me. I have made
friends with whom I share a special relationship dear to my heart. I will
never forget the friends I have made these past few years in Cross Country.
It takes unique character to be a runner. A person must be hard working,
committed and motivated. Because runners share many of the same characteristics,
we tend to "click", providing means for immediate friendship.
It may sound strange, but there is something about running fast that brings
out the truth in a person. Maybe the sweat brings us closer together.
Running has allowed me to meet people outside my immediate circle of friends. Everyone in Cross Country, whether Freshman or Senior, trains together. Competition has also provided me the opportunity to meet athletes from other schools: People I would not become acquainted with without this common interest.
Cross Country has given me a new sense of "direction". We sometimes joke about knowing the entire area surrounding College Park like the back of our hand due to frequent –though rarely successful– attempts to discover shorter routes in order to reduce the distance of our long runs.
Most importantly, my Cross Country experience has given me valuable self-fulfillment, both in a general sense, and in the specific satisfaction gained after each and every run. Just knowing that I find enjoyment in something so beneficial to my body makes me happy to continue to run each day.
–Betsy Sale (01)
Falcon Cross Country is the most fun I've had participating in sports.
What I enjoy most is it's serenity. When you have been running for a while,
whether fast or slow, it is possible to settle into a peaceful place where
you can truly relax. There is time for your mind to wander. I like to
take in the view and listen to my surroundings on the trails. There is
more to Cross Country than running though. Along with physiological education,
nutritional advice, and lots of water, it provides a whole new group of
friends. I have formed a new network of relationships that I enjoy and
interact with frequently. This group has proven to be loyal, made up of
great people. This family atmosphere is an important aspect for me, as
it likely will be for you too.
–Sean Thomas-Bignami (01)
When I signed up to run cross country my freshman year, my older brother
laughed and said I couldn't last a week. But I did-- I stuck out that
horrible first week just to prove I was up to the challenge, and then
I enjoyed it so much that I ran all four years.
Running on the team was the most satisfying thing I did during high school, and I still run now. Maybe I should thank my brother...
–Sarah Jeon (96)
It may sound cliché, but joining Cross Country has changed my life
for the better. I will experience a more fulfilling existence until I'm
old and my knees give out. Before running I was an average little Freshman
who's afternoons were spent avoiding homework. The team has given me something
to shoot for in life. Continuing to run consistently has allowed my body
to gradually adjust. At the conclusion of my first Cross Country season
I had far exceeded my goals and my morale was at an all-time high.
I also met and befriended a plethora of intriguing and amicable people along the way.
–Matt Owen (02)
One way or another you will come across a goal that you would like to
achieve during the season. To hope for this goal is to risk despair; to
try is to risk failure; but risks must be taken because the greatest hazard
in life is to risk nothing. The person who risks nothing, does nothing,
has nothing, and is nothing. Those chained by these certitudes have forfeited
their freedom. Risk takers are free to accomplish their dreams.
Little
achievements accumulate each day. Emil Zatopek said, "When a person
trains once, nothing happens. When a person forces themselves to do a
thing a hundred or a thousand times, then they certainly have developed
in more ways than physical. Is it raining? That doesn't matter, Am I tired?
That doesn't matter either. At this point willpower will be no problem."
One of my most memorable Cross Country experiences is a run I did with
Ashley Allen, one of my best friends. The day was rainy and cold. But
that didn't stop us. We began our run hopping along trying to avoid the
puddles. The rain was constant as we became more focused. It didn't matter
that we were completely soaked after six miles.
Upon our return we discovered a giant lake that was once the CPHS field. We could have slowed down or gone around the water. After all, we were almost finished. Instead, an unspoken understanding sent us without hesitation straight through, faster, harder, without a care for the sock drenching, slush and mud. We just did it.
From a distance we may have looked like pathetic wet rats. But for us it was a moment of perfection, blocking everything out except the run. Just the run.
–Sarah Elder (02)