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Camper & Staff Highlights
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Nike Cross Nationals (NXN)
Portland Meadows once again played host to the Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) which brings together the best teams in the country and pits them against each other on this unique course that traverses a horse racing track with traditional European style cross country racing features including plenty of mud.
The road to NXN saw some fierce competition and grueling courses – especially for the New York and California teams who had been running all-out each weekend for the past month just for the right to compete in their state championship. A berth in the Nike Cross Nationals usually requires a top four finish after all the five divisions have been combined in a ‘Power Merge’.
A big GMRC shout out to:
- The Shaker Boys team who took the NXN NY Regional team title with 78 points and qualified for Nike Cross Nationals in Portland Oregon.
- The Hamilton-Wenham Girls team who won the Northeast girls race and upset defending champion Champlain Valley of Vermont.
- The Hillsborough Girls team placed third in the team races.
- Lindsay Crevoiserat place second in the Girls Individuals
- Jack Leahy of Westfield, NJ who took home the top spot for the Northeast Individual Boys. The Westfield Boys team was third and was selected as an at large team to compete in the finals.
- Alyssa Brehler of Griswold HS finished 12th overall and 1st for CT girls.
- We congratulate Bronxville teammate Mary Cain who has had a stellar year of running and placed 3rd in the NY girl’s race.
- We also congratulate Tatnall teammates Haley Pierce and Reagan Anderson who finished second and third respectively in the Nike Southeast meet.
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| Shaker Boys X-C team |
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| Westfield Boys X-C team |
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| Jack Leahy, Westfield (middle) |
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Congratulations to Nick Roosa!!!!
He was the 11th American and 40th overall
in the NYC Marathon. 2:30:30!!!
Way to go Nick!!
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From The Boston Globe
This coach stresses happiness, not victory
Positive thinking pays for runners
By Doug Saffir Globe Correspondent / October 17, 2010
The cup is neither half empty nor half full. It is overflowing.
The overriding theme for the Hamilton-Wenham cross-country program is straightforward: simple, positive thoughts. And what follows is success, out on the course and in life.
“I like to make sure my kids are happy and smiling. I tell them to enjoy life: Do well in school, take care of your parents, take care of your teammates, and just enjoy life,’’ said Stephen Sawyer, who has been in charge of the program for more than three decades. “I tell my kids to race happy, and they like that.’’
His philosophy has paid big dividends. The girls’ team, off to an 8-0 start after Wednesday’s 16-45 win at Masconomet, has not lost a dual meet in the Cape Ann League in five years, a stretch covering 68 meets. The boys’ team is 9-0 after its 23-32 victory over Masco.
“That’s the result of everything he teaches them. It’s not the emphasis. You would be hard pressed to have Sawyer say they’re 68-0 [in Cape Ann League dual meets]. Not even the girls dwell on that. It’s just the icing on the cake,’’ said Cathy Lanois, whose daughter Alison is a senior captain on the team.
The seniors who have continued the program’s legacy rarely touch on the subject of success. Rather, the “race happy’’ philosophy dominates the conversation.
“When we go to big meets, we have an inside joke where if we run by a team during warmups, someone will say a punch line to a joke that doesn’t exist,’’ said Chris Benevento, a senior captain on the boys’ team. “Everyone bursts out laughing. It’s silly things like that that bring us together as a team.’’
On a road near the high school, there are two painted foxes wearing top hats at the end of one driveway, and “If you don’t wave at them, it’s said to be very bad luck,’’ said H-W sophomore Sam Malabre.
While a positive attitude has yielded positive results, the girls’ squad notes that being on top is not as easy as it may seem. In fact, success can be detrimental to a runner’s focus.
“I think the biggest challenge is that winning becomes almost monotonous. We have to make sure we get the girls excited for every meet. It’s hard to have them appreciate the program they are a part of,’’ said Alison Lanois, who has followed in her sister Emily’s footsteps as one of the top runners for the Generals.
But while the boys laugh at nothing and wave at wooden animals, the girls take breaking the tension to a new level. After all, with a long winning streak on the line, it’s hard to stay relaxed. Thankfully, the seniors have crafted a few games to make sure Sawyer’s positive philosophy is always the focus. “Today we did a positivity circle before the race,’’ said senior Lizzie Woodbury before the Masco meet. “The only rules were you had to say something positive and you couldn’t repeat what someone else said. We even throw imaginary bouncy balls to each other. If you catch it, you put it in your pocket and you just bounce up and down to get the excess energy out.’’
Senior Avery Hennigar added, “That’s what makes us different. Our team is founded not on the idea of winning, but on the idea of being happy. We know to smile every mile. It doesn’t matter as long as you’re doing it for your team and you love running.’’Games and jokes certainly lighten the mood and keep each Generals runner in “race-happy’’ mode. But at the starting line, they take the competition very seriously. With a strict training regimen involving conditioning, core workouts, and uphill training, most of the squad begins training two months before the season starts.
“Most of the team will head up to the Green Mountain Running Camp in Vermont,’’ said Benevento. “The camp is usually a good precursor to the fall. You don’t get to see everyone over the summer, but that’s a week where everyone comes together. By the time the season comes around, we’re all caught up and in shape.’’
Mental preparation is just as crucial. Every night before a race, the entire squad, 73 in all, chows down on a pasta dinner at the home of one of the athletes. After dinner, the runners start their preparation.
“We always sit down together and visualize the race. One girl will take us through the whole day, from waking up to finishing the race,’’ Lanois said. “It helps you imagine doing well, and by the time you’re running you think, ‘I’ve been here before.’ It helps focus on thinking positively and doing your best.’’
At the starting line, the Generals are prepared, both physically and mentally.
“The kids have to be happy and feel good about themselves. Winning is important, but it’s not everything in life,’’ Sawyer said.
“Through this program, I hope to make some of these kids better human beings — and we’re doing a pretty good job of that right now.’’
Doug Saffir can be reached at dsaffir@globe.com.
© Copyright 2010 Globe Newspaper Company.
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