The wind kept the flags pretty well extended most of the day, but mostly stayed within the bounds of tolerable. Photo by Alan Versaw.
Most of the cross country meets I go to, I go to as a coach. But, once the racing is underway, there aren't a lot of differences between coaching and spectating. So, I feel like I have a pretty decent idea of what a good cross country meet feels like from either perspective. This was a good cross country meet.
I'll start with the good company. It was great to meet coaches like Tim Host, Blake Wood, Jeff Engbers, and Jeff Turcotte for the first time. I briefly talked with a couple of other coaches for whom I am embarrassed to admit I can't quite remember their names right now. Equally as great to renew acquaintances--even if only much too briefly--with coaches like Steven Montoya, Rob and Kathy Hipwood, Teo Cutter, and Adam Kedge. I missed reconnecting with Nick Martinez, among others.
It was best of all to spend almost one entire race hustling from point to point with Jessi (Miller) Mickelsen, a member of my girls team the first two years we won state championships in Colorado and still a cornerstone personality in the history of the program. Jessi now works with the girls at Rehoboth Christian. And, by the way, she still has wheels. Not everyone keeps up that side of the game when they check in the uniform for the last time, but Jessi has.
As much fun as the social aspect of it all was, I wasn't there specifically for that purpose. The reason I was six hours' drive from home was to cover a great cross country meet. I wasn't disappointed. This was a great cross country meet.
Great meets start with great organization. The crowd control at this meet was very well executed. There were people who were clearly in charge without allowing their exercise of authority go to unreasonable measures. Directions to the crowd at major crossing points were given in calm and pleasant fashion. And people actually complied, cheerfully, with those directions.
The meet announcing was very nicely done. I can't imagine announcing meets in a state like New Mexico where so many cultures converge and the challenges of pronouncing names from so many different backgrounds rises to the fore. I'm sure some names got mispronounced over the course of the day, but it wasn't obvious. Clearly, the man doing the announcing was within his comfort zone.
But, it wasn't just that he was within his comfort zone; it was--first and foremost--that he was genuinely informative. As I was running, camera in hand, from point to point, I appreciated the announcements of where the leaders were and how the races were stacking up through the various checkpoints. It doesn't get much better than this from an announcing perspective.
The start and team camp area were spacious and comfortable. Too many meets don't seem to understand how important both of these elements are to the overall course design. The course incorporated enough scenery to making shooting the race just a little more interesting (if you peruse the photo albums a little, you'll be able to quickly locate my favorite spots on the course). There were adequate restrooms and mostly in key places. If there was a media hospitality room, I missed that, but I was too busy with the races to have made a stop, anyway. Who wants to be inside slurping hot chocolate when kids are outside busting their hearts and lungs for the opportunity to hoist a team trophy at the end of the day?!
And the racing itself? Outstanding!
It was great fun to see teams I'd only heard of from a distance--teams like Laguna-Acoma, Cleveland, Eldorado, and Los Alamos--do their thing on the course. It was entertaining, to say the least, to watch myself in other people's bodies coaching their charges through the course. And perhaps the best moment of the entire day came in the instant I saw one of the ATC girls look up momentarily from her concentration on the course to smile at Coach Tim Host as he emphatically yelled out his encouragement. I only wish I'd had my camera up and pointed at that moment, but you miss a lot when you view a meet solely through the viewfinder.
And there was Nick Hill who ran the entire 4A boys race with an impish grin on his face. This was one young man who gave every possible outward indication that he enjoyed his day to the full!
You can pay $40 for a ticket to a college football game (or at lot more for the same ticket to a professional football game) and never have a fraction of the fun you'll have at a cross country meet. This sport is where it's at. Want to be close to the action? You'll never be closer than at a cross country meet! Want to feel a fraction of the pain of the competitors? Put on your running pants before you go to the meet, scope out the course map, and figure your route.* Then run that route until you drop. Want to see the best you'll ever see in sportsmanship? Check out what's going on at the end of the finish chute.
On top of all that, I've never had beer spilled down my back or had to endure obscenity-laden tirades from the guy next to me at a cross country meet.
It was one of the highlights of my year to have this weekend free to attend the New Mexico state meet. You did yourselves proud!
* - As an aside, I should note that it's probably a good idea to balance your route with your current fitness level when there are 10 races on the schedule. I figure I ran 10 - 12 miles altogether, much of that in bursts of reasonable speed, on Saturday. My quads chose the ride home as the (extended) moment to remind me that they weren't especially appreciative of the extra mileage at those kind of paces.