Pitman Cross Country

Cross country is a sport that not many people enjoy doing; however the Pitman High School Cross Country team loves it.

There are many misconceptions about cross country. For example, many cross country runners receive the question; “Isn’t cross country just like track?” It is not like track at all. Yes, there are distance races in track, but in track, participants are competing for more of an individual time, while in cross country, they are fighting for their team. It is more important to stay in a group of their team-mates than it is to finish with a fast time.

Another thing many people get puzzled about is how cross country is scored. To explain it in its simplest terms, the lowest score wins. That’s why it is really important to run in groups. If the runner’s group can stick together and snag a lower place than from another team, that’s great.

Here’s how it works: the scorers take the first five finishers from a team, and whatever place they come in, that’s the amount of points they scored for their team. For example, if a team’s top five come in first, second, third, fourth, and fifth, they would score fifteen points, because that’s the sum of all of them. Fifteen points is also known as a perfect score.

Richard Turknett, senior and four year cross country runner, is currently aiming for top fifteen in varsity boys.

“It’s a really unique sport, and you can accomplish anything if you try hard enough.” Turknett declares about the sport. Turknett would describe cross country as “Unique, weird and special.”

Cross country is a really tough sport that requires a lot of strength and willpower. Varsity boys and girls run about three miles in a race, and frosh-soph boys and girls run about two and a half.

Recently, the Pitman Cross Country team travelled to a meet in Half Moon Bay, called Artichoke Invitational. The meet is known for its notorious hill, called “cougar hill” It is two-hundred meters uphill, at a very steep slant. It is so tall, that the sign at the bottom of the hill politely reminds the runners, “don’t look up.”

Most of Pitman’s runners were very nervous to take on the challenge of Cougar Hill, but were very relieved because after their races, they headed to the beach to hang out.

One of the other Pitman runners, Bianca Garcia, sophomore, is currently aiming for a nineteen minute three mile, was one of many who weren’t so excited for the hill.

“I’m not excited because cougar hill is very rough. It is a very large tiring hill. I’m excited for the beach though” Garcia exclaimed.

Pitman Cross country has two coaches, Debbie Clemens, and Sara Smith. Clemens also teaches physical education here at Pitman, and Smith also teaches English.

Clemens likes coaching cross country because “It’s a new challenge compared to when I would coach volleyball, and to be a runner you have to be very self-motivated”

Even though cross country runners are often considered to be crazy for running so much, it is an outstanding sport, with amazing people involved The members of the Pitman High School Cross Country team are friendly and caring to one another, and very much consider themselves a big happy family.