Photo Credit: OHS cross country[/caption]This season, cross country went further than anyone thought it could. Girls cross country went to states, and the boy’s team was very close. This was the first time the girls had gone to states as a team in around three years, so it truly was a victory. There were many other victories throughout the season, but the ones people remember the most are the varsity invitational races. There were four overall that the varsity athletes traveled to this year to compete in.
The varsity teams had seven people each. The girl’s team consisted of Adalyn Fleming, Claire Barger, Juliana Henderson, Isabelle Hartmond, Hannah Phillips, Melia Weeks, and Kathryn Obenshain. The members of the boy’s varsity team were Robert Russell, Daniel Mulligan, Spencer Husen, Jacob Larson, Hunter Spitzer, Danny Archibald, and Ben Wirzba. Both teams did very well, especially with the help of their coaches, Hendrik Joubert and Russell Westbrook. Each of these coaches have different philosophies, but they work together as an unstoppable team.
Westbrook has been coaching for over ten years and so has Joubert. With their combined experience, they are good leaders. They have tried to train their teams to the best of their ability. Joubert said about his coaching strategy, “I try to do the minimum possible for the maximum results.” It must have been working, and it shows in the team.
Both coaches love to run and let others learn about their passion. Westbrook is currently the P.E. teacher at Cameron Park. He is also very involved in a local running club, the Hillsborough Running Club. On the other hand, Joubert has been very involved with running in his community since he began to run in the first place. He has coached many people, teams, and clubs.
Practices for next year start August 1.
Photo Credit: Tammy Mack Adalyn Fleming finishes her race at Orange.[/caption]At the Wendy’s Invitational on October 2, the girl’s team got great times. This race is one of the most important ones of the year, and Wendy’s is a highly competitive race in Charlotte where the best battle it out.
On Saturday, September 27, Orange placed third overall at the Greensboro invitational. They were very close to being champions, but still did fantastic. Everyone ran well, and lots of girls got personal records (PR’s) on the course.
Tuesday, September 23, Adalyn Fleming came in third at Orange’s first home cross country meet, with a time of 21 minutes and 7 seconds. She and many other OHS runners made great leaps to make the first meet a great one.
Fleming was followed closely by sophomores Juliana Lester and Claire Barger, and freshmen Isabelle Hartmond and Melia Weeks. Junior Hannah Phillips finished 6th, and Sophomore Kathryn Obenshain finished seventh on the team.
The team’s success was surprising considering the team just acquired a new coach, Hendrik Joubert. Joubert is a highly recognized runner. He has run many marathons, ultra marathons, and 55 mile runs.
On September 24, 2013, Orange had senior night for cross country. The OHS men’s cross country team won with 30 points, Northwood came in second with 31, and Cardinal Gibbons came in last with 69. The OHS women’s team, however, was last with 68 points, Northwood came in second again with 54, and Cardinal Gibbons won with 20. Spencer Husen, an OHS sophomore, won the varsity boys’ meet with a time of 18:28.00. Mary Grace Doggett, a student at Cardinal Gibbons High School, won the varsity girls’ meet with a time of 20:37.00
With their bright orange uniforms, the team was ready to win. Senior and captain, Chad Cecil, is participating in his fourth year on the cross country team. He decided to start running in the eighth grade for exercise and is now in love with the sport, with his personal best being 19:47 for a 5k. He said that he thinks the team is “going to do very well. [We] have good competition and good racing."
Devante Robertson, a senior, has been on cross country for three years. He wanted to do it to keep fit. Also, by doing cross country, he has been able to keep up his stamina. When asked what his hopes for Tuesday’s games are, he replied, "I want the the team to have great determination. I want everyone to have fun."
For first year cross country runner and senior, Kristen Russell, she decided to be in cross country because everyone in her family had done it, and she wanted to get fit for swim season. Being in cross country has been great for Kristen. "I have expanded my friend group and changed how I approach overcoming any task." For running, her most important skill is to keep a constant speed.
Cross country is a sport where a person runs through outdoor areas rather than on a road or path. Cross country and track and field are two completely different sports. They, however, both have running in common.
The cross country team has recently gained a new member named Elisabeth Oeien. She is a new student here at Orange and is currently a junior. She joined the cross country team because she thought it would be a great sport to keep in shape. Oeien says she is ready to show the cross country team what a great runner she is.
Saiquan Clark is a senior at OHS. He is on the team and he says that they are geared up for a fairly good season. He thinks that the team will not be as good as last year's team due to the loss of seniors, but he says that the cross country team has a lot of new talent. Clark says that the most special thing about cross country is that the team is really close, so much so that they are like "a huge family." Clark and his teammates are “like a bunch of bros.”
According to Clark, the team runs five to ten miles depending on what type of workout the team does. During meets, they run 5K, about 3.2 miles. Clark says that cross country is his favorite sport.
The cross country up-coming races are on September 15 and October 3 The team has a pretty important race on the 29th of this month, one on October 5, and one on November 3. Clark loves cross country. “We just go and run and have fun and have a good time together,” said Clark.
Coach Roberts says they have 13 girls and 30 boys on the team this year. The girls team is small this year because 8 seniors graduated last year. The top two girls are seniors Indy Reid-Shaw and Devon Allen.
The cross country team has another strong returning sophomore runner named Christina Jones, according to Coach Roberts. The team mostly has freshmen and it's hard to predict how the team will do this year, but the boys team looks stong. They have four very strong upperclassmen this year: Dylan Perry, Will Henderson, Blake Hall, and Clark. Underclassmen may rise to the challenge by the end of the season.
Coach Roberts anticipates a top five state finish for the boys team. The goal for the girls team is just to make it to the state meet as a team and get all the ladies to improve their race times. The boys are looking to finish better than last year. The motto for both teams is to work hard. Every year for the past six years both teams made it to the state meet, and this year the goal is to send both teams to the state meet again. Coach Roberts hopes to keep the tradition this season.