Here’s What to Look For
“The Dowling Project” At the Start line
Schedule of races: (times are aprox.) th th 5:00p 9 /10 Grade Girls th th 5:30p 9 /10 Grade Boys th th 5:55p 11 /12 Grade Girls th th 6:20p 11 /12 Grade Boys
Ellen Sullivan
XC 101: “The Curious Sport of Cross Country Some of you may be new to the sometimes mystifying world of cross-‐country. It is sometimes a seemingly chaotic and weird event resembling more of a civil war reenactment than a high school running event. Fear not! Becoming the wise and savvy cross-‐country fan can be yours by simply mastering the simple guidelines of the “Master XC Fan.” Scoring: The numeric value of the 5 top places for each team is added together and the team th with the lowest score wins. In case of a tie the 6 runner’s place is included and if there is still th a tie the 7 runner’s place is included. Low team score wins. Example: DCHS Individual Results: Anna Marie Vaughan 1st Kathy Schweizer 3rd th Kathy Halliwell 6 th Teresa Thomas 8 th Marcie Coleman 10 1+3+6+8+10=28 points Team Score DCHS 28 (winner) Stanford 35 Oregon 40 Colorado 51 In short, the team who gets their 5 runners across the finish line first generally wins. So we like to see the long Maroon line coming into the finish line area ahead of the competition. Spectating: It is way to easy to only watch the start of the race and then go camp at the finish line. This is minimal and your daughters would much rather see your smiling and encouraging face out on the course where they probably need you more. The savvy xc fan plans their race ahead of time, determining how they can see their runner as many times out on the course as possible. Failing to leave the start and or finish line areas will possibly subject you to the mockery and scorn of other more season xc fans. Cheering: It is generally a good rule of thumb never to include pet names such as “honey,” “darling,” lovey,” “snuggle bunny” or “sweetheart” in any of your cheers. This will likely have a negative effect on your daughter. Also, telling your runner to sprint is never advised until perhaps the last 200m of a race. As a rule, be positive and supportive to your young runner while never saying derogatory things about any of the other competing runners. Dowling athletes and fans are always supportive and encouraging to all runners regardless of their team. 2
Today marks my last first race on this team. These past three years have flown by, and being on this team has made my high school experience something very special. The overall positive and welcoming atmosphere on this team is unbeatable and rare. I am honored to say that I’m among the most dedicated, hardworking, and well behaved kids in the school. In my eyes, this is not just a team, but a family. I began cross country in middle school because at that age I would do anything my friends did. My first day of practice I decided to impress the coaches by running with group one. At this age I was teeny tiny, but the most physical activity I had was playing softball every weekend. I was out of shape to say the least, which is why I threw up my lucky charms that I had eaten earlier that morning.
Freshman and sophomore year was a year that I ran for the fun of it. My upperclassmen friends are what really made these years special. The senior leaders always take the freshman under their wing not only on the course, but in the hallways as well. Junior year was a big year for me in this sport. I wanted to go to the next level on this team. One of my favorite quotes is “Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” This quote was my motivation during the season. The happiness that I received from winning the state title wasn’t even comparable to how happy I was winning it with my very best friends. The sport of cross country doesn’t only create teammates, but lifelong friends. My senior season is already here and I am more excited than ever. The girls have been working so incredibly hard, and I can’t wait to see it all pay off on the course. They call us “the flying d” for a reason so let’s go kick some butt this season. Go Maroons!
FINISH START
Girls 4K Course Please Note that these arrows only demonstrate the direction runners are going. This map may be helpful in choosing where you watch the race
6