Volume XCII
THE PINE NEEDLE St. Christopher’s School, Richmond, Virginia, December 2006
John Green, running machine English teacher takes running passion to extremes
by Peter Thomas ’07
While you might have stopped at 30 candles, John Green went ahead and did it in miles. Back on Sept. 29, the Upper School English teacher celebrated his 30th birthday by running 30 miles. “I figure 30 is one of those big, monumental times of life,” Mr. Green said. Now, Sept. 28 was Parents’ Night, and the next day was still a school day, so Mr. Green started his run at 2 a.m., having slept for four hours. “I tried to knock it out before Chapel,” Mr. Green said. Rev. Hollerith would be proud. If you are a member of the cross country team, you can understand what it means to consecutively run a Rockfalls-Cherokee, a Monument-Boulevard-Grove and a backwards Ziontown with Westham Station. Those routes contain some long stretches
SAC: A closer look by Thomas Jenkins ’07
Every afternoon the sound of clanging iron and punk music drifts out of the weight room. These are the sounds of Strength and Conditioning, a hodgepodge mix of athletes, slackers, idlers, and fugitives united under the roof of the weight room. The goals of this group vary far and wide, from those who seek to escape required athletics to those who work with feverish intensity to get bigger, faster and stronger. The nature of SAC often depends on the individual. The SACer can make it as easy-going and relaxed or as challenging and arduous as he wants. Typically though, when SAC is associated with a sport, such as wrestling, lacrosse or baseball, there is a coach who will make sure you show up and do the required lifts. In addition to standard workouts like the squat and bench press, Coach Blanton offers a regimen of running,
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and hills which, for many people, would not be too fun that early in the morning. Although it was dark and humid (there was a storm the night before), Mr. Green said that the run felt fine and that he was able to maintain an eightminute pace for most of the run. “The most difficult thing was getting up,” he said. On his third and final loop, Mr. Green met Mr. Ellis, his daughter Kate Ellis who is a St. Catherine’s senior, and Mrs. Mary Anderson at the River Road Starbucks, which allowed him to finish his long run with some help from the St. Chris community. “It was nice having a little bit of company,” Mr. Green said. The Saturday after his birthday, Mr. Green ran the Maymont half-marathon, and four weeks later helped pace his wife in the Marine Corps Marathon. This
Many people associate the Christmas holidays with receiving -- a new bike, a letter from one’s grandmother or a new Playstation 3. It’s easy to get caught up in Christmas commercialism and overlook the less fortunate who need basic necessities. However, in recent weeks, St. Christopher’s students have demonstrated that it really is “more blessed to give than receive.” In the days leading up to
Fulfilling football fantasies
by J.P. Welch ’07
was all part of a training regimen in preparation for Mt. Masochist, a 54-mile race through sections of the Appalachian Trail that was created 24 years ago by David Horton, a Liberty University professor. Mr. Green described it as “a running buffet,” as it consisted of eight food stations spaced approximately four miles apart along the trail. These stations were stocked with items like Twinkies, energy drinks, soup, hamburgers and of course, water. Runners stopped for a few minutes at the
worked with children at the center in its after school program. The connection between St. Christopher’s and this organization goes deeper than student service. Mr. Abbott, dean of students, has served on Peter Paul’s Board of Directors and Dr. Anderson, former St. Christopher’s chaplain, has served as board chairman for the past few years. Most noteworthy is St. Christopher’s annual sponsorship of the Peter Paul Development Center’s Angel Tree Program that provides Christmas presents to needy families. This year, the Upper School and Middle School sponsored 19 families. In the Upper School, advisor groups of approximately 10 students each creatively raised money, shopped for presents and wrapped them. The Rev. Melissa Hollerith, Upper School chaplain, believes that there are many benefits of St. Christopher’s involvement. “First of all, I believe it is man’s nature to want to be able to give,
As most leagues’ playoffs are wrapping up and championships have been won and lost, I feel it is appropriate to take a moment to reflect on seasons past, and seasons to come, and to ask myself a question: why do I commit myself to this every year? Guarantee myself less than adequate first trimester grades, free periods wasted in front of the library computer screens, gazing drowsily at stat lines and injury reports? Wondering why my first round draft pick, the reigning rushing champion, got hurt after week two, damning me to three straight losses while I try to reassemble a team of undrafted free agents in an attempt to resurrect my season. Why? To pick up my dignity after last season’s one point championship loss, after which I couldn’t eat or sleep for several days? For the $180 cash reward for victory? That can’t be it. That’s not worth it. It is out of pride. It has been ever since the beginning, and will be for decades to come. No matter how much debt I accumulate over the years, I will fight on. For bragging rights. To elevate myself so that I tower above my enemies. To assemble the ultimate team, the greatest the world has ever known, that is why we fight. And when the season is over and the money is collected, to know what it is to be the champion, that’s what this is all about. So that when I enter a room full of opponents whom I have obliterated over the years I can proudly declare “the champ is here,” and they can make no smart retorts or attempts to disagree, because the scoreboard doesn’t lie. That day, however, has not yet come. And so, until it does, the struggle for glory will continue. I know that there are many who have looked over my shoulder in the computer lab and said something like, “Your team is pretty stacked.” While I take that as a compliment under most circumstances, I also think to myself, they just don’t know
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stations in order to grab as much food and water as possible and then continued along the trail. Mr. Green’s personal favorites at the event were oatmeal cream pies and ham and cheese sandwiches. Out of 284 runners, Mr. Green placed 70th. His goal was to complete the race in 10 hours, a goal which he exceeded by only five minutes. He ran a fairly conservative race, running his fastest pace in the last six miles. With a little help from
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Christmas giving thrives at St. Christopher’s
by Kyle Menges ’07
No. 3
Christmas, students in all grade levels have contributed to the Richmond community in many capacities, the most prominent of which is St. Christopher’s coordination with Peter Paul Development Center. St. Christopher’s has contributed to the Episcopal organization that serves families in Church Hill for more than a decade. In the past, the Lower School collected money through the Missionary Society to give to Peter Paul, while the Middle School students