The Junior Varsity Cross Country team won a league meet for the first time in Marlborough history on Thursday, Oct. 28. JV and Varsity Cross Country achieved third place and first place respectively in the Sunshine League Finals.
With 14 girls, the Cross Country team was able to run an official JV team at league meets for the first time this year.
“Everyone wanted to step up to be part of that Marlborough record,” assistant coach Amanda Kissinger said.
According to some students, Cross Country’s unique team spirit and commitment to success contributed to their wins.
“This year, we have no seniors [on the whole team], so the younger grades really had to step it up,” Caroline ’12 said.
All runners attend practice six days a week, which can consist of everything from a neighborhood run in Hancock Park to a run up and down nearby hills, like “Agony” and “Poop Out,” as nicknamed by the girls.
Uriel ’14 lamented about one hill, called “Winowna,” that is a particularly difficult work out.
“You can practically touch it while you’re running, it’s so vertical. Your legs get numb, and the whole week you’re in pain,” she said.
Despite challenging practices, the cross country girls said they still manage to have a good time. The girls usually hang out together before practice, guessing what their workout will be and snacking on granola bars and tangerines.
“When you’re running ten miles, whoever you’re running with you’re going to bond with,” Uriel said.
All of the runners have nicknames, and the team has come up with some Cross Country slang.
Caroline ’13, also known as “Sweets,” explained, laughing, that the girls call spandex worn by male runners “man-spans.”
Caroline ’12, known as “K-Flex” on the team, said that they also have a team song: “Toot It and Boot It,” by YG.
“At one meet, we even had this DJ play the song while we were running our race, to help keep us motivated,” Caroline ’12 said.
The team, which Lovinia “Vinnie” ’13 described as a “little family,” even bought team water bottles and matching purple and black zebra-striped spandex.
“Any runner would know that spandex shorts are an essential part of our running wardrobe, so the team decided to get purple, zebra print spandex to show our school spirit and a little bit of our wild side,” Caroline ’12said.
