Prep Harrier Gazette Edition #11 Vol. 2008

THE COLLEGE PREPARATORY SCHOOL
PREP HARRIER GAZETTE
Monday, November 24    Edition #11        Volume 2008

BABOOMBA!
ANCIENT ASSYRIAN FOR FRESNO-BOUND!
BOYS 4TH, GIRLS 2ND AT NCS
Saturday, November 22
Hayward High School.  Site of the North Coast Section Championship XC Meet.  The meet the Prep teams have been training for since August.  We talked about it last November driving back from Fresno after the 2007 State meet.  We talked about it at the team retreat in Bear Valley.  Indeed, with no sleight intended on the rest of the season, which was fabuloso in every respect, perhaps the hardest part has been the wait, especially during this past week.  Nerves are so brutal.  Even given the fact that both of these talented squads have illustrious histories, successful 2008 seasons under their belts, and were ranked to one degree or another as top-flight contenders coming into the meet, confidence was tempered by question marks coming into the meet.  The boys were dealing with the loss of their #2 runner – no small detail – and deep as this squad is, that’s an unsettling development in a tough section.  The girls had a two-minute gap between the scoring packs, and who knew how Sarah E would hold up in her first serious competition in two months, especially considering the team goal of trying to repeat 2007’s first-place finish against formidable foes UHS and MA.  When the day finally arrives, anticipated cool weather turned-out to be a remarkably warm day for late November.  Ideal for spectators, but an additional factor for the runners to deal with.  So… 
…On this race day more than any other that I can remember in recent years, the fact that a team effort is a collection of seven individual efforts was clearly on display.  And Prep was not alone.  The best laid team and individual race plans/intentions/expectations are so vulnerable to the uncontrollable and unforeseeable vagaries of the sport.  Hearts went to those on both squads who were disappointed with their pieces, and “wows” went to those on both squads who had great days.  The sum of the parts of both squads, and the undeniable effort that each harrier put into their race, yielded terrific results.  Both teams qualified for the California State Championship Meet.  That is no small feat.  That doesn’t happen every year.  That is hella cool.  Only six schools in the entire section qualified both their girls and boys squads.  RYAO and HV – it’s business time!    

CONGRATS TO BOTH TEAMS & EACH OF YOU!

12:00 Outrageous pace, remarkably deep and talented field, no Daniel O’K = hair guys take solid 4th place! 

Perspective: 10 years ago, there were only 2 sub-17 times and a time of 17:31 was good enough for 8th place in the D-V race in this meet at Hayward HS.  Today, it was only good enough for 36th, and there were 20 sub-17s!  That’s a deep field of competitors!  The number of runners with sub-6 mile splits was outrageous.  Not only that, but only 3 of these runners ran this meet last year!  The early fast pace took its toll on lots of runners, including some of our own.  Back-ends of many teams were bunched and it was hard to get a clear sense of whose 4th and 5th runner was where, especially with 20 teams competing.  When the dust finally settled, a trip to state was ours.  A quintessential whole team effort.  Way to do it, boys.  Kudos to Charlie for his 4th place!

TOP TEAM RESULTS
1st    University        27 pts    4th     College Prep    164 pts    7th     Marin Academy        218 pts
2nd     Berean Christian        101 pts    5th     Head Royce    185 pts    8th     Athenian*        232 pts
3rd    Redwood Christian      150 pts    6th     Lick Wilmerding    207 pts    9th     Santa Rosa Christian    236 pts
D-V BOYS RESULTS (150 runners total) mile splits & time, 2007 mile splits & time           
4th     Charlie        5:06/10:38/16:01    5:07/10:37/16:16 in ’07    medalist; an absolutely stellar piece start to finish   
26th      Tim        5:27/11:27/17:09    5:31/11:31/17:33 in ’07    deservedly all smiles; stellar race; huge 3rd mile!
46th    Aviv        5:27/11:35/17:57    5:34/11:49/18:15 in ’07    ankle must be feeling better; great early effort and tenacity
47th    John        5:33/11:50/17:59                Mr. Dependable comes thru when it’s most needed; sub-18
64th    Julian        5:33/11:57/18:23                paid a bit in the 3rd mile for the terrific first two miles
77th    Chris Mc     5:40/12:07/18:30                 excellent focus and determination; fired-up finish
95th      Kristian        5:45/12:17/18:53                 great open, mushy middle, nice recovery and kick
                               
1:30 Knock down, drag out affair among the top 3 D-V teams in the section = terrific 2nd place for las chicas! 

Being a defending champion is both glorious and hellish.  The pressure to repeat, whether it is openly addressed or completely ignored, is unnervingly present when 6 of the 7 girls who ran on the championship team are returning and a hot-shot rookie is on board.  And particularly when they naturally have high expectations of themselves.  Going into the race against MA and UHS, both of which are racing better than in 2007, the girls knew it would be a battle.  They had solid strategies and team cohesion.  Despite the typical pre-race jitters, new-body issues, and a big gap, they were ready.  When the gun went off, plans changed almost instantly when Kai’s mark bolted, Adrienne’s legs were not their normally strong selves, Emily had trouble finding rhythm, and Sydney was in tears.  It wasn’t pretty, but it was effective: a scrappy, gutsy 2nd place finish.  There was no quit.  Bravo!  You all fought valiantly for the common good.  And you bagged a banner!  Cool!  Way cool!  And kudos to Kai for her 2nd place!
 
TOP TEAM RESULTS
1st     Marin Academy        54 pts    4th     Lick Wilmerding    99 pts    7th     Santa Rosa Christian    191 pts
2nd     College Prep        69 pts    5th     Urban        164 pts    8th     Sonoma Academy    202 pts
3rd     University        90 pts    6th     Head Royce    177 pts    9th     Rincon Valley Christian    254 pts

VARSITY GIRLS RESULTS (108 runners total)           
2nd     Kai        5:59/12:37/19:05                medalist; wow - break out stellar day!  Eye-popping kick
8th      Emily        6:12/13:06/19:58    6:12/12:52/19:24 in ‘07    great recovery from funky 1st half; terrific 3rd mile   
15th      Adrienne    6:06/13:12/20:18    6:07/12:41/19:14 in ’07    unrivaled in race prep and guts; just one of those days   
27th     Sarah E        6:32/13:53/21:02    6:23/13:16/20:13 in ‘07    all things considered, a fine piece – perspective here…
10th    Cat        6:32/13:53/21:05    6:45/14:38/22:04 in ‘07    absolutely erased the 2007 experience; bravo!
14th     Sydney        6:45/14:21/22:36    6:43/13:12/21:41 in ’07    no fun racing in tears; excellent finish
18th    Lena        7:10/15:08/23:03 7:00/14:50/22:28 in ’07    solid piece throughout; mega focus

THANKS MEGA SUPER ALTERNATES HALEY & DANIEL!

Thank you to the many families and fans and Emma and Jenn for coming out to support the squads! 
Thank you to the parents for taking pictures and providing so much food and drink! 

Next race: Saturday, November 29th, at Woodward Park in Fresno.  The varsity squads take their show on the road to the California State Championship Meet.  Yee haw!  Here’s to honor and glory…  
Boys D-V race: 11:45 p.m.   Girls D-V race: 1:20 p.m.
Teams, determine what you want to accomplish at the State meet.  Individuals, set your goals.  Visualize!

Final thoughts:
Don’t get spooked by Saturdays’ unsettling events.  Once you’ve dealt with any disappointment, which you have to do, you need to learn from it, file it, and move on.  As a team, you should always go into a race anticipating the best, and trust that there will be more victories than vagaries.
Please don’t fall into the “what if?” trap; it’s a natural question, but if dwelled upon, it takes away from the plentiful “what did”, and it focuses on the past, which is beyond your control now.  Again, it’s about learning and looking forward.
Just how good is the competition we face in the BCL?  7 of the top 10 girls teams in the NCS and 8 of the top 10 boys teams in the NCS are from the BCL.  Hello talent…
Considering the size of the North Coast section, this meet is easily the equivalent of state championship meets in several other states.  Your team finishes were fantastic!  Also consider that out of hundreds of D-V schools throughout the huge and populous state of California, only 23 teams qualify for the state meet.  Both teams are among the 23 best D-V teams in the state.  Wow!

And Cal won!                                 DON’T MESS! DON’T MESS! DON’T MESS WITH THE BEST…