“”The Dowling Project”
Dowling Catholic
Sue Sullivan
“”The Dowling Project” Ankeny Centennial Invite
of races: (times are aprox.) From the Schedule other Side of 4:00p Middle School Girlsthe Ropes 4:15p Middle School Boys 4:30p Freshmen/Sophomore Girls 4:50p Freshmen/Sophomore Boys Girls When I 5:10p was inJV high school, some of my good friends were 5:30pbasketball JV boys team. Every fall, they would moan on the boys 5:50p about Varsityhaving Girls to join the boys cross country and gripe Boys team6:10p to getVarsity in shape for basketball. Up until a few years ago, that was the only exposure I had to the sport of cross crountry. Little did I know that it is probably one of the best high school sports around for both boys and girls and definitely the best high school sport here at Dowling Catholic. Dowling girls cross country has become a very important part of our lives these last few years. Our family has so enjoyed all of the friendships as a result of Dowling girls XC. Great families…great values…so much fun. We look forward to the Thursday meets and our trips to Griak and even “chilly” Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The beauty of cross country is that every runner each and every week has the opportunity to improve their performance. During meets, runners can work with their coaches and teammates to strategize against their competition. Week after week, cross country runners compete against some of the same people…these competitors often become friends too. Cross country spectators have the joy of “exercising” themselves as they move throughout the course to find the BEST spot to support their runners. We so love all of the kids that we have met throughout this Dowling cross country journey. We love to see all of the friendships that have transpired for Ellen as a result of this wonderful sport. These are friendships that will most likely last for many years. This season like all others, provides many opportunities for our girls. Success and winning is fun…but it’s not everything and some of the biggest lessons have been learned when we didn’t win. We are going to treasure every moment of this season as we watch Father Kirby and Kelly’s team each and every week. Fun, friendships, and faith make this team and journey so very special. We wish the 2014 Dowling Maroons Girls XC team the best of luck. We hope that each and every member of the team will experience PR’s through the season and stay healthy as they continue to train. Go Dowling Maroons Girls Cross Country. May you be blessed and humbled as you use your talents to perform this most awesome sport. God Bless you all!
August 28 Tonight’s Preview We come into the season opener a little sore, a little sick and a little young, but hungry. The thing to remember about cross country is that the goal is “to be smart in August and happy in November.” While we are a little sore and gimpy now it is important to remember the big picture and realize that a season is a process. Every race, every workout and every practice is a stepping stone to “happy in November.” To be smart is to be patient and to be careful while keeping things in perspective. The goal is to be at our best at the end of the season when it really matters. Today’s race will be run on time as the girls will run with their classes and each runner’s time will be put in order and then it will be scored as an ordinary XC meet scoring the top five finisher of each team. Freshmen/Sophomore Race Up front will be sophomore Vivian Broderick who has worked very hard and comes into the season with more experience and a great attitude. Other sophomores to watch will be Cate Freeman who is finally healthy after dealing with some nagging injuries. Jillian Jaeger while dealing with some injuries shows great signs of promise of things to come. Still coming back from injury is sophomore Allie McLuen and will be sitting this meet out in order for her to get back to full strength soon. It will be fun to see how are young freshmen develop. Today we watch th freshmen Andrea Goodman and Molly Flood who have emerged as two 9 graders to watch this season. Of course there will be plenty of time for all of our freshmen to gain experience and work their way to the front. Junior/Senior Race We always count on our seniors to provide leadership for our team and up front we are glad to have senior Ellen Sullivan showing the way. Senior Hannah Thomas has been battling illness and will not be competing today. Rookie senior Lauren Bockhaus has embraced XC for the first time and has become a great runner and leader. Junior Erin Cahalan is back, healthy and hungry and she, along with classmate Caroline Warmuth will be making noise up front as well. Even though the Maroons are not at full strength, we are excited for tonight’s meet and get a hint of how high the Flying “D” and the Maroons can sore!
“"Find though she but little, she is fierce”
William Shakespeare