Number 2: 2012 Cross Country Regionals
Our cross country team was trying to do what no team in school history had ever done: qualify for the state cross country meet back to back years (for boys). Our team had the perfect opportunity to too. We figured as a team 6 schools would be competing for the 4 spots that are available from our regional to go to the state meet. These teams including us, NDCL, Chagrin Falls, Claymont, Marlington and Cortland Lakeview. In the season, we had lost to NDCL, Chagrin and Marlington in prior meets in the season but also had beaten them all too. So we figured as long as we ran our best one of the spots were ours.
After a season of waiting, the time for us to race at Boardman was finally here. This was my 7th time in 4 years racing at Boardman (3 times for regionals, 4 times for their regular season invitational). We were all together at the starting line and doing our various stretches when I realized I had to go to the bathroom. Well I wasn't planning on holding it, so needless to say there may have been a little puddle on the starting stretch.
The race had begun and we were off. The first half of the race as a team we got off to a slow start. But we kept picking it up and for the first time all season my buddy Devin was hanging with me in a race (or at least for this long). I didn't want Devin beating me but he had the final laugh pulling away with 800 meters left. Then once the final turn came it hit me that this might be my last high school race ever (as it did at state). So then I turned it up and sprinted at a very good pace to the finish line. I fell to the ground once I finished an then Devin was on top of me hugging me saying he thought we made it. This gave me some relief but nothing was set in stone yet. We then left the finish chute as a team and we then gotall of our congratulations. It was also nice seeing some past runners in the crowd such as Josh Shoup.
Then they started reading the results. Unlike last year, they were announcing the results over a PA system instead of just posting them on a board. They started at 16th place and worked their way up. Then they got to 6th place....Chagrin Falls. That was a relief it wasn't us but expected. One more team that didn't make it would now be announced....5th place...Cortland Lakeview. For the 2nd year in a row Lakeview got 5th place. We started cheering but still had not heard our name so we had to be sure....4th place....Chardon....Then we all got silent and was thinking Chardon wasn't in this race. Well NDCL happens to be in Chardon but the announcers didn't say that. Needless to say the NDCL team caught on and started cheering. 3rd place....Claymont....Now we were thinking, did we really get in the top 2? The next sentence confirmed it....2nd place....Perry! We all started screaming and my face lit up with a smile. Knowing that through everything we went through as a team we did it. We did it. The stress was now over and that weight was off of our shoulders. We were going to State once again. The rest of the day that smile didn't get wiped off my face and nothing could change that.
National Trail Raceway. Here we come.
Results for this race: http://www.baumspage.com/cc/reg/young/2012/b2.htm
Yes that picture is big and I couldn't figure out how to shrink it.
Aaran Gessic led our team this race by qualifying individually (Top 16 Overall)
No comments:
Post a Comment