~:[CH11 - Day 299]:~ Almost Perfect

 
~:[CH11 - Day 299]:~ Almost Perfect

My boys varsity lineup PRs coming into the year were 17:15, 18:13, 19:07, 19:31, 19:36, 21:10 and a freshman for the boys. My girls had a stronger resume up front, but still had two girls in the 21s and 22s and two more who were freshmen. It was a battle, but also a fun year to work with athletes eager to get better and who were moldable once you could get them on board. Our girls varsity team made improvements (almost four minutes in team time), finished with a perfect 15, and all were first-team all-league athletes. My JV girls had five in the top seven and shaved off ten minutes as a team since the first cluster. Our JV boys lost a heartbreaker by two points, finding that less than five seconds could have won them a share of the title, however, in the first cluster, they lost by 37 points, shaving five minutes off their team time. The varsity boys lineup that averaged those times above ended up with a team time average around our fastest boy's PR. Sadly, the also ended up losing in a two point thriller, but there is no way we can fault them, as the work they put in, helped them get to where they are. Our theme this year was The Wave of Momentum and the season was perfectly summed up by the theme. Every week it felt as if more and more athletes were engulfed in the wave as things began to click and they also started to find their way. Success is infectious and while we still have a ways to go, the team took a rebuilding year and made it into a year where they gave themselves and opportunity. I hope that this wave continues into next year as while we lose a few key seniors, we return a large portion of our top athletes, but as is the case every year, the weight of those decisions lies on their shoulders. This year, they focused in and did what they needed to do and if they hope to continue the upswing, they'll need to keep pushing on. For now, however, we'll celebrate this victory. While some are a little sad of missing their goals, I hope they're minded of just how far they have come. It was easy to see that every athlete, from top to bottom, gave their all and left it all out on the course and with each one of them doing it, they made a wave that could not go unnoticed.