Broadalbin-Perth Cross Country

Today marked the end of a very different and difficult season for us. Although it was not the end we hoped for or envisioned I couldn’t be more proud of a group. They were dealt a very tough hand and despite this, still made the best of it. They took advantage of the opportunity we were given and kept smiles on their faces. Even though those smiles were hidden behind a mask, you could tell daily they were just happy to be able to once again be around each other. This alone is what makes...

Today was our final dual meet of a very difficult season. It, however, was a very rewarding one for me. At the end of the meet, my team reminded me that despite how tough things have been they are still finding ways to make the best of it. At the end of the meet as each kid crossed the finish line they kept running. Instead of running forward they turned around and ran back toward their trailing teammate to yell words of encouragement. Once that kid finished he or she then did the same. In th...

Today was a very difficult one for us as we ran shorthanded on both sides. Due to various reasons, we fielded essentially half teams and that alone seemed to get the best of us. Mentally we were beaten before the start. I give credit to Schuylerville as they were minus a few members as well. They just adjusted better and were able to overcome it. We did not, as 2020 continues to be a struggle for us. On top of our depleted team, we also had the emotion of our two seniors, Danny Dylong and Sam...

We ran better today but unfortunately our results did not reflect this. During both races, we had individuals go the wrong way, take nasty falls, or injure themselves. Luck was not on our side. Fortunately, we can learn from and overcome each of these things. The good thing is those who survived the race, ran much better both mentally and physically. If our team can look past the team scores and see instead the positive aspects, we have some momentum that we can build upon. I think next Wedne...

We are now halfway into the season and yet we are continuing to struggle with the new racing format that covid safety protocols require. As a coach, this is my responsibility. I need to find a way to better prepare my team mentally for the demands this racing style requires. Glens Falls was better prepared than us and it showed. We are far faster than our results. Unfortunately, we are forgetting this out on the course. We continue to struggle without the pack running that we have always util...

Today was a tough day for us. On the boys’ side, we suffered a close loss as Amsterdam ran to a hard fought win. On the girls side we won but did so with a very poor team effort. I knew the boys’ race would be close and unfortunately, we came up on the wrong end of the score. Credit to Amsterdam as their number four and five runners really stepped up to solidify their victory. Once again are boys ran shorthanded as we continue to struggle with early season injuries. If we can ever...

Today was our second meet of this very different season and already we showed huge improvements. With the knowledge gained during of our first meet, we knew what to expect and the kids responded. They were mentally tougher and ran more like I expected. As I stated to them before the race, even though, you aren’t allowed to run in the packs you need to realize that the pack is still counting on each of you. It is easy to give up on yourself but almost impossible to give up on your team. ...

Today was a much anticipated day for us as we finally got back to racing and high school athletics after a very long 7 month hiatus. Although, the new safety protocols make the actual race so different the kids and I were excited to get the opportunity to compete and get back to some form of normalcy. Unfortunately, the day did not go as we would have liked as Scotia got the better of us on both sides. We definitely showed rust and a lack of being in race shape. However I think the biggest f...

Today our girls’ team made Broadalbin-Perth cross country history, as they became our first team to win a Foothills Championship. We have had incredible teams in the past, but for some reason we never have been able to put it all together at our league championship. This team however came in with the right attitude and rose to the challenge. They believed in themselves and their teammates and made sure this year would be different. Despite our youth, we ran like seasoned veterans and on...

Today was a very good day for our girls as our pack running is starting to pay dividends. Although we only had one girl in the top 20 (Sarah Smith) we were able to finish 2nd in a huge field of runners as our pack held strong and showed why cross country truly is a team sport. After Sarah, we had a pack of four runners within 14 seconds of one another and that was the difference. We are putting five girls in front of most teams third and seven in front of the majority of team’s seventh...