Thursday, August 21st. The first day of school.....but we won't be there. Unfortunately CHSAA decided that since Cross Country is a non-contact sport, the first race could get moved up a week earlier. So instead of running our first test of the season on August 28th, we're missing the first day of school. But we'll get back & be ready to jump-start school on Friday. Today we have some work to do.
PreState (Officially the Cheyenne Mountain Stampede) is our chance to open the season on the toughest course we'll be on - and a place for the newest runners to baptize their Bulldog career. It's a tough way to start, but we're up to it.
We've worked hard in practices. Today will help show us the work we've still got to do.
Click on a photo, then click on the right side or left side of the photo to navigate to the next one.
PreState (Officially the Cheyenne Mountain Stampede) is our chance to open the season on the toughest course we'll be on - and a place for the newest runners to baptize their Bulldog career. It's a tough way to start, but we're up to it.
We've worked hard in practices. Today will help show us the work we've still got to do.
Click on a photo, then click on the right side or left side of the photo to navigate to the next one.
We get to the camp early! What happened to Denver traffic? Where's the usual Colo Springs traffic jams? Fortunately we don't hit any of that, and we get first choice of sites. Camp is set up, snacks & drinks are out, then it's time to get ready to run. Er, it's time to start a game of Ninja!!! As a team, it's our favorite way to relax.
The Junior Varsity girls are up first. Today we have three girls running, and they've been here before. Each girl understands what's in front of them today. The attitude is simple...'Let's go!'
The Junior Varsity boys race is next. Let's go do this thing! The guys take off, and you can see the strain on their faces at the end. But for each one of us, up & down the roster today, it's a full sprint to the finish! Although it's been 3.1 miles of the toughest hills, loose dirt & rocks and tough competition, we sprint to the end.
Next up - the Varsity girls. First is some stretching & loosening up. We've already shown that we're bonded together in this thing - note the hair ribbons. Then we go! The course takes it's toll on one young runner today, reminding us how tough it is to run in this heat and on this course.
Last up - the Varsity boys. There's a nice mix of youth & experience, energy and rock solid. We're ready to go. The guys take off, pack well and explode into the finish. It's early afternoon, so we have the heat of the day, dry, rocky conditions and altitude to deal with. But there's a ton of fight in the 'Dogs. Everyone finishes with a sprint close-out, and nails a couple more competitors on the way to the line.
After we get back to camp, we get rehydrated, eat our subs, chips, fruit, granola and proteins. After awhile enough energy seeps back into our bodies to pack up & jump on the bus for the trip home. It's a lot quieter on the way home - tired bodies have to regain some energy. We did our best today. We made some youthful mistakes, worked hard and enjoyed our successes. We know we have a lot of work to do, but today showed us that both the girls team and the boys team will be in the middle of the fight at State. It's gonna be a fun year for the Bulldogs Cross Country team!
At the end of the day, we found out that the boys team finished 5th and the girls team finished 7th at PreState. It's a solid start for all of us, and a place for us to grow from.
After we get back to camp, we get rehydrated, eat our subs, chips, fruit, granola and proteins. After awhile enough energy seeps back into our bodies to pack up & jump on the bus for the trip home. It's a lot quieter on the way home - tired bodies have to regain some energy. We did our best today. We made some youthful mistakes, worked hard and enjoyed our successes. We know we have a lot of work to do, but today showed us that both the girls team and the boys team will be in the middle of the fight at State. It's gonna be a fun year for the Bulldogs Cross Country team!
At the end of the day, we found out that the boys team finished 5th and the girls team finished 7th at PreState. It's a solid start for all of us, and a place for us to grow from.
It's not the size of the dog in the fight that matters.
It's the size of the fight in the 'Dog!
It's the size of the fight in the 'Dog!