Prep Harrier Gazette Edition #1 Vol. 2008

THE COLLEGE PREPARATORY SCHOOL
PREP HARRIER GAZETTE
Thursday, September 11    Edition #1    Volume 2008

FINALLY – A RACE! AND PREP BEAT THE DEMONS WITH STYLE…
“This is a hard sport, this sport of yours.” C. Mitchell 

Wednesday, September 10
Whoa – I just have to take a moment to acknowledge this anniversary.  I vividly remember getting phone calls on 9/11/01 from parents and coaches wondering if the College Prep Invite was going to happen in light of the tragedy in NYC.  It’s hard to believe that it’s been seven years. 
The mighty Prep harriers of 2008 got to put on some new duds and show off their stuff at the traditional Point Pinole meet, initiated by Prep in the late ‘90s, and held annually since 2000.  At the risk of sounding like a broken record, you really had to be there to appreciate the magnitude of the collective Prep performance at the College Prep Invite.  There truly is nothing like an opening day to a season, and under nice weather conditions with a large and appreciative crowd on hand, this fifteen-school competition was full of magic.  Make no mistake: Chelsea’s words ring true in every harriers’ experience, and the broad spectrum of post-race emotions suggested lots of learning took place, some satisfying, some dissatisfying.  What stood out to this observer was how “chin-uply” the potentially devastating feelings were handled.  This sport chews up and spits out lesser athletes, but not Prep’s finest.  We coaches couldn’t have been prouder of the collective effort, approach, support, and heart that were all vividly on display throughout the afternoon. And both squads performed beautifully, with depth and talent that bode well for the season.  Lots of great pieces.  Lots of victories – some little, some large, all important.  And now we all have race experience, a basis for perspective, competitive juices flowing – all good stuff as we open league competition next week.  I say “bring it on” (but please don’t make me watch the movie again).  On this day, I’m oozing “Congrats to all!”  That was a great meet, harriers.
And to the many parents who came out to help and support and cheer, thank you so much.  The meet was a terrific success in no small part due to your collective efforts.  A special shout out to Patty Williams for coaching the parent helpers and holding down the fort for the umpteenth time with an ever-present smile.  Again, thank you to one and all.   

RESULTS  2.15 mile course; rolling varied surfaces; 2007 results shown where applicable – some cool improvements!   

FROSH/SOPH GIRLS 36 runners total                                JV/NOVICE BOYS 36 runners total
6th    Sydney        16:31    medalist 16:42 in ’07                2nd    Chris L        14:01    medalist 14:02 in ‘07
very steady piece; top ten throughout                            new haircut = more aerodynamic; therefore, faster!
10th    Gina        16:54    medalist                6th     Nolan        14:23    medalist    dnr in ‘07
yo smiley – it’s not supposed to be fun…                new flats plus old blazing kick = fine piece!
12th    Michelle        17:00    medalist                12th     Nick        15:10    medalist
a bit up and down, but a fine opening act                post-race smile the size of the Grand Canyon!
13th    Julia        17:00    medalist 16:39 in ‘07        13th     Elijah        15:12    medalist 16:17 in ‘07
new body worked pretty darned well despite shins            here’s a happy camper; more blisters, sir
16th    Emma        17:03    (ouch)                14th     Andrew        15:19    medalist 16:16 in ‘07
the ankle seems to be coming along nicely; great 2nd half        dude – a whole minute!  That’s worth writing home about
31st     Sarah G        19:40                    20th     Jonathan        15:57        15:56 in ‘07
not a fan of the heat, but no quit in her                bringing swimming smarts with new body
34th     Sarah T        20:29                    22nd     Tyler        16:25        16:18 in ‘07
the friendliest racer you ever saw                    you made the most of a not-quite-there day
35th     Sarina        22:17
meeting your goal had to be satisfying; time to reset the bar           




FROSH/SOPH BOYS 47 runners total                VARSITY GIRLS 42 runners total
2nd     Julian        13:08    medalist     13:52 in ‘07        2nd     Kai        13:47    medalist     (!)   
start to finish, a whale of a race, Tilt                tough to beat a debut like this, Crazy Arms
16th    Mark        15:01    (ouch)                3rd     Emily        13:47    medalist 14:17 on ‘07
yes, this would’ve been a medal winner in the novice race; excellent    bingo – a terrific head piece
30th     Martin        16:06                    5th     Adrienne    14:02    medalist 14:10 in ‘07
a solid first XC race; will put learned lessons to use soon        a big piece, considering illness and 7 Tunnel Road miles
38th     Daniel C        17:32                    14th     Cat        16:08    medalist 16:07 in ‘07
you’ve come a long way in a short time, DC                let her feet do the talking here today
dnf    Micha                            17th     Lena        16:35         16:50 in ‘07
hard to race when you can’t breathe                    this was a terrific effort throughout; remember this one
30th     Kate        18:24         16:03 in ‘07
                                bum ankle induced down time = frustration
       

JV/NOVICE GIRLS 35 runners total                VARSITY BOYS 52 runners total   
3rd     Rori        17:20    medalist                2nd     Charlie        11:50    medalist 11:40 in ‘07
you waited until your senior year to do this?  Sweet!            never a good time for a stitch, and still a solid piece
5th     Deanna        17:29    medalist 16:23 in ’07        4th     Daniel O’K    12:10    medalist (!)
chalk it up to losing training time to wisdom teeth…            an eye-opening debut if ever there was one
10th     Valentina    18:09    medalist    18:09 in ’07        10th     Aviv        12:44    medalist 12:36 in ‘07
you met your goal determinedly – bravo!                 It’s all about focus, brainiac
16th     Alice         19:05    (ouch)                17th     John        13:06        13:36 in ‘07
watching opponents walk drives one crazy                simply baboomba, Mr. Dodger
19th     Chelsea        19:54                    19th     Chris Mc    13:10        14:33 in ‘07
a terrific overall first race!                        Holy crap!  Watch out world…
31st     Jenn        22:58                    22nd    Kristian        13:23        dnr in ‘07
you made it through the entire race and didn’t barf!            This was a very snazzy piece; wanted to take his shirt off

On the shelf:                            Composite Team Time Results
Haley (mono), Sarah E (shin), Tim (hip)                The girls bested MA by 37 seconds for 1st – swoop!
                                The boys edged BC by 7 seconds for 1st – swoop!

How do you spell cruelty?  s-i-x-t-e-e-n-t-h or s-e-v-e-n-t-e-e-n-t-h p-l-a-c-e
     
Thank you, Shelf People, for being supportive teammates and for helping with the meet.
Thank you to the many food and drink suppliers – always appreciated by starving harriers!
Next race: The league season opener!  BCL East Meet #1, Tuesday, September 16, at Redwood Regional Park. 

Set your goals!  Start visualizing now!  Go Prep!

DON’T MESS