In the shadows of the majestic Mount San Antonio (colloquially known as Mount Baldy), proud Middle and High School runners come to compete amongst each other for victory for them and the schools they represent. Cross Country, as you all may know, is very different than your typical sport. While most are played on fields and courts and such, Cross Country is not. It is ran in the outdoors, the great equalizer of all. It is a sport where endurance is valued just as much if not more so than speed, where simple and short sprinting does not exist, and where your finish time and your wellbeing for the rest of the day can be at the mercy of the elements. Anyway, this large race, hosted by Mount San Antonio College, is attended yearly by the SPAS Cross Country team, and it is one of the biggest races of the year for them (the competition is even sponsored by NIKE). Despite it not counting towards the CYO Standings, it is still a pivotal race for preparing for CYO meets towards the end of the season. Regarding the importance of this event and how the Falcons have been preparing, Coach Hawkins said that “…it’s exciting that the Falcons get to run the challenging course. The team has been running hills and intervals since the beginning of the school year to prepare to run fast and strong on the course, especially on the hills.” She also stated “A great outcome for the race would be all Falcons running their hardest and finishing the race strong.” The races will be run this Friday, with the aforementioned “elements” being relatively mild with highs in the upper 70s and temps will be likely between 68-74 degrees during races.
In other news, B Flag Football and Volleyball have begun their seasons, along with the Varsity and JV teams already in progress. Varsity Flag Football had great all around contributions on Wednesday, pitching a shutout vs St. Therese, with a final of 36-0. Varsity Volleyball was supposed to clash with Immaculate Conception on Tuesday, but it was postponed by rain, Along with both B Flag Football games on Tuesday as well. The slate for the back end of the week includes a home game for JV Girls Volleyball against Alverno, B Girls Volleyball Team 1 vs ABVM, and B Flag Football team 2 vs St Rita all on Thursday afternoon. Varsity Volleyball and Football teams both will continue their playoff pushes next week.
If you have any questions, concerns, ideas for articles, want to talk about sports or something you think I left out, let me know via email or come up to me at school. If you are running on Friday at Mt Sac I wish you the best of luck. A special thank you this week to Ms. Hawkins for her comments on such short notice. Have a good rest of your week and GO FALCONS!
