The 2011 state series is over. The District, Regional and State Champions have been crowned. The celebrations have died down. For most Florida harriers the spikes have been retired and the uniforms turned in. Long runs, workouts, recoveries and plyometrics will not be thought of again until the start of training for Spring Track season. For others the journey continues into the post-season with the opportunity to test their skills and fitness against those outside the borders of the Sunshine State.
Some will migrate to Cary, NC to match team scores or individual prowess at the NXN Southeast regional meet. On the line there is a trip to the Nike Campus in Portland, OR for the National meet. Others will make the pilgramage to Charlotte, NC for the Foot Locker South Regional and individual glory and a chance at a trip to San Diego, CA for the National Championship. This is the beginning chapter of one such quest.
2011 Foot Locker South Regional – West Coast Bus
Part 3: Let’s get ready to rumble!
11/26/11, 6:45am, race day is finally here. A line of busses greet us as we step out of the warm sanctuary of the hotel lobby into the frosty air. Picking out our coach we hurry to load our luggage and scurry on board to escape the 38º morning. A quick head count and off we go to the meet. Upon our arrival we distribute apples, bananas, oranges, bagels w/peanut butter, trail mix and granola bars to the group and load rolling coolers full of water bottles and sports drinks to haul with us. We set up camp to the right of the starting line and begin warm-ups and stretches.
The mixed gender Open/Masters classification is the first race of the day and several of our coaches and parents are competing. The overall top finishers set the tone for the day by posting sub 15:00 minute times! Next is the Freshmen boys race with Floridian Kurt Convey going wire to wire for the win. We also claim our first medal for the bus, a bronze. Sophomore boys are next and it is again Florida first at the line when Nicholas Morken out leans two others for the win. A second bronze medal will also be taking the ride back on our bus. Junior/Senior Girls is the following race and we get our first silver medalist. Florida wins the team title for the Junior’s and Ferguson stand-out Lauren Gonzalez wins the Seniors individual title.
So far we are feeling pretty good about how Florida is representing with 3 individual wins and solid team results, but now the big dogs come out to play. First up, Seeded Girls and Florida puts on a show. An awesome seven girls medal with three punching their tickets to the San Diego, including our own West Coast bus passenger Olivia Ortiz. Florida wins the team title for the second year in a row. The Boys Seeded race is next and does not go as well for the Sunshine State contingent. No national championship representation this year but we have some solid times turned in with 11 boys in the top fifty. Two of these are on the bus with us and are happy with their new PRs.
Girls Sophomore/Freshman race is on and Florida wins the Freshmen team title. Boys Seniors start and Florida posts a 2nd place team finish placing 8 in the top 30. Our last race before packing up is the Boys Juniors and we have another silver medalist on board.
Packing up and slogging over the footbridge and up the hill to the bus parking area we are all smiles. Friends have been made, medals won, PRs set and one of us is going to the Big Show in two weeks. The thought of the long trip back is not enough to squash the giddiness. Thirteen hours later the sleepy sojourners disperse in the parking lot at Fort Myers HS still beaming and retelling of their adventure to anybody that will listen. All say the same thing, “I can’t wait ‘til next year”.
Part 2: What a long, strange trip it’s been
11/24/11, 10:00pm, the bus pulls out from the Fort Myers HS parking lot and noses north up US 41 towards I-75. On board are athletes, coaches and chaperones from Barron Collier, Naples, Palmetto Ridge, Lehigh, Fort Myers, Cypress Lake and North Fort Myers high schools. Noted participants are Carlos Miranda, Josh Pelletier, Ace Brown and Buddy Gates.
The anesthetic properties of Thanksgiving meals combined with the whine of the highway quell the initial excitement in the bus and one by one sleep overtakes the passengers. The bus groans through the darkness towards our first stop in Sarasota to pick up more riders. We pull up to small crowd huddled in the parking lot of Fit2Run off exit 213. On board climbs a small contingent from Sarasota Riverview HS and 2 runners from Lakewood Ranch HS, Devin McDermott and Olivia Ortiz.
Our bus, now full to capacity, continues its nocturnal trek northward. A couple of rest stops and one to change drivers and dawn breaks close to the GA/SC border on I-95. We switch to I-26, then at Columbia, SC we turn north on I-77. We celebrate our last break of the trip by invading an unsuspecting Cracker Barrel with 57 starving athletes and crew. Back on the bus for the final 1.5 hours to Charlotte and the host hotel awake and full.
The Marriott Executive Park Hotel is buzzing with activity as we enter the lobby. The kids search for their names on the entry list posted outside the meet registration room and head inside to pick up packets while we get the room keys. We assign rooms and break up for lunch then re-gather at the bus for a trip over to McAlpine for a course preview. Back to the hotel for showers and free time before pasta dinner, meeting and bed, by 10:30pm most lights are out and dreams of glory fill the night.
Part 1: REPRESENT!
Last year we witnessed some awesome performances for Florida runners, including the winners of both girls and boys the seeded races and a total of 6 national qualifiers (more than any other state at this meet). Many of other races had Florida harriers out front as well. On a whole Florida was well represented.
On the way up the ride will be tedious, the chatter constant and the anticipation of racing make sleeping difficult. But the thrill of arriving, meeting new friends and rekindling old acquaintances will make the memory of the first leg of our trip dissipate quickly.
So tonight when we load the bus and pull out of the Fort Myers HS parking lot, full of turkey, trimmings and pie, we will be carrying more than just athletes, coaches and parents. We will be transporting the hopes and dreams of a season’s worth of effort and sacrifice. We will also carry with us the expectation to REPRESENT!
More from the road later…..