The Woodberry Harrier 2015: Volume 5

Perhaps, one day, even these things will be pleasing to remember. -- Virgil

The first week of November is over. Throughout the Commonwealth, signs of autumn are everywhere. Cars decked out in Hokie/Wahoo merchandise fill I-64 on Saturdays. The display of color on trees, though still a spectacle, is in its waning hour. Daylight savings time has ended, and wreaths are already hanging from lamps at Short Pump. Here at the Forest, exams are on the horizon, and predictions about EHS weekend fill the small talk. Other teams are winding down, if they haven’t ended their seasons already. Yes, even those who meet in the small pine grove behind the Barbee Center are starting to feel the end.

This being my first year of cross-country, I can only offer a new runner’s humble observations. I can say that we’ve come a long way as a team since the first 3-mile run at early camp. People have matured, runners have improved, paces have gotten faster, distances have lengthened, and we have grown closer as a team. The long trickle of runners that would come panting back into Nature Camp is now three packs that stay together in both practices and meets.

Now, to a younger me, the phrase“cross-country team” always seemed like an oxymoron. How could it be called a team if it’s essentially you vs. yourself?  Until I joined the squad, I was ignorant of how a single runner’s success depends upon the others. Maybe it’s the size of the group, or maybe it’s the trials we go through together, but we happy few are close, and we push each other every day.  Moormont would be a herculean task were we to run it one at a time, so would a hard 8-mile run. Knowing that you’re not going though that alone gives you great strength.

Earlier this year, while translating Vergil’s Aeneidn I came across a quote that I thought was very appropriate. Aeneas having been tossed about the Mediterranean by the gods, seeks refuge in North Africa. As he’s addressing his downtrodden men, he says, “Perhaps one day, even these things will be pleasing to remember.” I thought Aeneas was saying he’d look back on these rough times and laugh. It was back in early October when we read that, and I remember thinking to myself that I couldn’t wait for cross-country to be over so I could laugh about the hard challenges.

Now here we are, having just run our penultimate race, and all I can feel is sadness that we have only one more week and one more race, and now I think I misunderstood Aeneas.  He wasn’t talking about laughing but rather feeling joy and pride.  The dynamic we have developed has no parallel on campus that I can see, and our time together will be very pleasing to remember. 

-- John Pittman '16

Thanks, John.  Certainly last Friday is pleasing to remember.  Milestat.com had us ranked 5th going into the meet, and even though that was specious, it reminded me that we had a very tough meet ahead on a course we’d never raced.  Fork Union had beaten us on our home course on Parents’ Weekend, and we knew St. Christopher’s would be fighting hard to beat us as well. 
 

But the squad came through brilliantly, and I was very proud of them.  Here are the results:

Prep League Championship
St. Catherine’s Goochland Campus
6 November 2015
2nd out of 6 teams 1-5 spread: 1:49
Runner	Time	Place	Comments
Singleton	17:07	2nd out of 73	All-Prep
Carrington	17:41	6th	All-Prep
Jacobs	18:14	13th	All-Prep
Rich	18:15	14th	All-Prep
Tydings	18:56	21st
Hernandez	19:13	29th
Gussler	19:33	32nd
Pittman	19:40	36th
Kacur	19:51	38th
Wall	20:03	41st
Daphnis	22:11	58th
Duke	20:18	2nd out of 84

It will very strange loading up the van next Friday to head to the State Meet, which is moving to Fork Union after 40-odd years here.  It will be another very tough contest, so please wish us luck.  If you are near Fluvanna County, we’d love to see you.  The canon fires at 2:30.