Sidehill Wampus, aka John Stark 9-12-17
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Through The Traffic Cone
The second Tuesday duel meet of the season means one thing...John Stark, the home of the Sidehill Wampus! Not an easy course to run, lots of side hills (hence the wampus), and usually hot weather. We approach it as a training and learning opportunity, and try to have as much fun as one can racing 5k’s over lumpy terrain.
The girls race was a little depleted for MV, as several girls rested tired bodies for future races. Emma and Noelle stuck to the pre-race plan and ran together, steadily moving up through the field to eventually finish in 5th and 6th place. Maizie returned from her brief race absence to run probably the race of the day, finishing 3rd for MV and only a minute behind the top two. Madisyn cruised in for a solid 4th for MV, while Diandra ran to her best team finish ever in her long tenure with the program, scoring the all-important 5th spot. Also running for the girls was Kaitlyn, bravely toughing out three miles that most others would not have attempted, and MacNeill, racing to get back to her book. The girls placed second overall out of the 5 teams entered, not a bad showing!
The boys, slightly healthier overall than the girls, ran almost a full contingent of runners. Matt, Matt, and David also tried to pack run for the first couple of miles, although Matt R. got a little anxious and ended up running about 10 feet ahead for the first two miles. After reeling in three over-anxious Trinity runners and a couple other random kids, David took the lead for good and won easily, his second win in a row. Matt R. finished third, while Matt L. finished a solid 7th overall. For the final two MV spots it was a battle between a rookie 9th-grader (Ethan) and a seasoned senior (Mason). Coming onto the track Mason held a slight advantage, only to be passed on the track by Ethan. Not to be outdone, Mason demonstrated patience and unleashed a David Quinn-esque kick to take 4th for MV, with Ethan 1 tick back, 18th and 19th overall. Don’t look now, but that gap between 3rd and 4th/5th is starting to close!
Many thanks to Lauren for taking most of today’s pictures, and to Emma for loaning the high quality phone and uploading them!