When it was all said and done, it was truly a great event. Sure, the sun never shined, it felt like the midst of winter, and it was foggy and damp most of the time, some thought the course was too hard, some in the minority thought the course was too easy, but along the way it was one heck of an experience for all involved.
The Park Pride XC Club represented the State well and although they finished near the back of the pack team-wise, each team member was a winner after the experiences they shared over the last few days.
The Nike, USATF and NSSF run event was first class all the way. Expect them to fine-tune this event going forward and make it even more rewarding in the years to come.
If you're a high school runner with an emphasis on TEAM, then the Nike Team Nationals is a worthy goal. You won't be disappointed.
I can tell you first hand that the early mornings, long days, numerous miles and effort to make it to the NTN's are a price worth paying. Once you make it to Nationals as a team, the event will be priceless.
RACEDAY:
Started early for the teams with breakfast at 0600.
Nike and company provided every club with their own team van to make the 25-minute trip from the Embassy Suites hotel to the Portland Meadows course and back. No waiting for their teams to be on your time-schedule at this big meet!
Each team had a team tent adorned with a personalized team logo right behind the starting area and also had a tent at the finish line, which was on the other end of the course. Leave it up to some creative thinkers to have not 1 team tent, but 2 in this case. Nice touch!
At some point it was decided to have an Open event and also allow each teams number #8 runner the opportunity to run a race on the racecourse and experience the event as well. Another nice touch!
The winning time in the Open Race of 17:20 was an indicator that the course was slow and challenging.
With the man-made moguls named Roller coaster-Hill, bay hales, and railroad ties on the course, the biggest deterrent to fast times was the soft footing. You see, Mother Nature's obstacles are often the most challenging and not easily overcome.
Die-hard running fans organized this event; people that know and love the sport of distance running.
The race introductions were just one example of folks being in the know.
That became evident when Rich Gonzalez from Dye Stat-Cal, a true running junkie if there ever was one, announced each team alphabetically and knew specific races each team had run and how individual members had carried their teams towards qualifying for this prestigious event.
The teams were brought up in front of the grandstand area and team photos adorned the huge Jumbo-tron's as the teams were announced and made their way down to the starting gates.
Spectators could watch the races from the grandstand area or from the infield, which was a lot more up front, and personal. Standing in the middle of the infield, you could see those Jumbo-trons with live feeds of the leaders on one, and the running time of the race on the other which updated themselves at every 1K mark with team positions. On this day, there truly wasn't a bad seat in the house.
Luckily for the NTN's, it didn't rain as forecast the night prior or during the races. At race time for the boys, the temperature was roughly 40 degrees with a 10-15 mile an hour wind dropping the wind-chill temperature into the 30's. The ladies had it a little better as it was later in the morning and the wind died down to zero.
The Park starting gate was up on higher ground if you can call it that, but a short whistle from the starter caught many by surprise.
The guys started off slowly and never really recovered. At the 1K mark, they were in last place. They moved up to 19th place after 2K and eventually finished 20th out of 21 teams.
Caleb Vogt led the way for the Park boys, finishing 37th in 16:48, 1:04 back from the eventual winner, Sean Mc Namara from powerhouse and eventual National Champions, Kroy XC Club, disciples of legendary Coach Newton at York high school in Illinois.
The Park scored 457 points and posted a team average of 17:30 over the course.
Birmingham XC Club, the other qualifier for the Southeast region, ended up finishing 15th, scoring 332 points, with an average team time of 17:10.
The girls race was totally dominated by Kinetic XC made up of young ladies from Saratoga High. There is very little doubt that they are probably the best girls team in the history of high school running and they proved it out on the course, where it matters, today.
The inaugural Nike Team Championship's are in the history books.
With the Armada leading the way this year for the Sunshine State in 2004, it's time to refocus, re-energize, and take it to the next level, as the next Nike Team Championships are only 364 running days away. Enjoy the journey!