As the season’s sections get closer for Parks’ cross country, athletes from different schools gathered at Hyland Green Golf Course on Oct. 17. The cross country meet was anticipated to showcase athleticism and competition, foreshadowing an exciting day of races ahead.
Head coach Chris Nordstrom said that the overall results were reasonable. While they had hoped for a better team standing, he expressed satisfaction with the team’s efforts.
“Overall our results were solid, I was hopeful that we’d do a little better in the team standing but happy with our efforts,” said Nordstrom.
Junior Casey Howard said that the team’s performance had notably improved from the previous year. He said that many of the runners had a good day.
“It went pretty good, our team is a lot better than last year. A lot of the guys ran good today,” Howard said. “I also did alright, it wasn’t my best but it was a really good race.”
Sophomore Jacob Skelly said he was satisfied with his performance, noting that he achieved his desired placement, although his time wasn’t exactly what he had aimed for.
“I think it went really well, I placed where I wanted to be, not quite my time but went well,” Skelly said. “I got all-conference which is a pretty big achievement for me compared to last year.”
Nordstrom said learning about new runners can be challenging, but he was proud of the value they’ve already added to the team. Looking ahead, Nordstrom is curious about how these new members will benefit the team.
“It’s hard to know a lot about new runners but am very pleased with what they brought to the team,” Nordstrom said. “I am looking forward to what they will continue to add to the program.”
Howard said this meet stood out as one of the more preferable meets, with several runners surpassing their personal records. The comfortable sixty-degree weather was another positive aspect, providing ideal conditions for the event.
“This was probably one of the better meets because more of the runners beat their personal records,” Howard said. “Also it was sixty degrees out so it wasn’t too hot but was still pretty comfortable.”
Skelly said this meet was one of their highest quality of work, emphasizing their increased effort. They also appreciated the support from unfamiliar spectators who cheered for the runners by calling out their names, creating a positive atmosphere.
“This meet was definitely one of the better ones because I pushed myself a lot harder,” Skelly said. “There were also a lot more people that you don’t know but they still would cheer for you and yell out your name.”
Park boy’s race at the sections meet 3:45 p.m. Oct. 25 at Gale Woods Farm.
