Editor's Note: Tim Hilt's Tales from the Chute has, by now, become something of a staple of the end of the cross country season, and one of my favorite articles of the entire year. For me, it's always intriguing to see what Tim Hilt picked up from the state meet that I remained oblivious to through the day.
Four Perspectives From the Chute
(1) The Heat Doesn't Stifle Team Spirits
The first question our beloved webmaster posed to the Colorado cross country community on Friday asked whether the heat would be a factor in Saturday's state championship. The short answer is, yes, it factored.
It could be speculated that the heat affected the entire field, though it could also be asserted that runners collapsing after the finish is nothing new at the state meet. But for those who witnessed the toughness of Quinn McConnell and Kayla Young in the 3A Girls finish, it is hard to imagine a finish with four falls happening under conditions of lesser heat.
The top two girls in 3A were not the only athletes affected by the unusually high late October temps. Every race brought runners, pale of face and caked in dust, through the finish. The crew of EMTs manning the medical tents kept busy--all day long.
During 4A Girls, the ambulance next to the tents left the stadium to pick up Lizzy Harding of Battle Mountain. A concerning moment to say the least, but also one that created one of the most memorable images of the day. After the trophy ceremony, there was a small crowd of girls clad in yellow and black checking in on their teammate through the back doors of the emergency vehicle. The smiling ladies lifted the trophy high so the golden gleam could be seen from the inside of the ambulance.
(2) The Last Hurrah for the Incredibly Talented Class of 2017
TCA's Tanner Norman set the fastest time for all classifications by running the three loops at Norris Penrose in 15:45. Norman entered the stadium just as fellow Colorado Springs runner Maria Mettler stepped to the top of the awards podium. Mettler lingered in the chute to give Norman a congratulatory hug. The camaraderie across schools was a special moment to witness.
Norman and Mettler represent two runners in a very deep graduating class. The class of 2017 took home six of the eight individual titles on Saturday; a feat last accomplished in 2013. Of the six titles, Norman and Isaac Green each took home a second individual title. Three-time state champion Lauren Gregory traded positions with Brie Oakley who was last year's state runner-up in 5A. Kayla Young twice placed second behind Katie Rainsberger in 4A before her 3A title this year.
(3) The Best Seems to Be Yet to Come
While some of Colorado's best individual talent departs after this season, the amount of top five teams in each classification that have zero graduating seniors among their scoring runners shows the depth of team talent in the state right now. In 2A, both Lyons squads, and the Nederland girls lose nothing to graduation. The 4A, Silver Creek boys, plus the Battle Mountain and Centaurus girls, return their entire state top fives. And in 5A, Broomfield, Mountain Vista, and the Arvada West girls return the entire scoring five.
A slew of top five teams will only graduate one scoring athlete, including the Telluride girls, the Peak to Peak girls, both TCA teams, the Steamboat girls, the Gunnison boys, the D'Evelyn boys, the SkyView Academy boys, the Air Academy girls, and the Palmer Ridge girls.
Many of those programs have been the traditional powerhouses in Colorado, notably the three programs that swept second-place team finishes in their respective divisions: Lyons, TCA, and Mountain Vista.
The changing of the guard could be sharply seen as members of the Vista Nation insisted on taking photos with their varsity underclassmen and Lauren Gregory. Watching an athlete like Gregory grow from an extremely talented freshmen to an admired leader across programs has been a rare privilege.
(4) Iron Sharpens Iron
After the 5A trophy ceremony Broomfield coach Greg Wiech mentioned an early season conversation with Mountain Vista's coach Jonathan Dalby. Wiech said that Dalby knew that no matter the outcome of State that Broomfield would push Vista to be their very best and vise versa.
Broomfield's girls are not the only team that Dalby's runners have pushed to their best.
The Monarch boys rode a steady curve of improvement to set themselves up for a title run, yet even after riding that momentum to a brilliant team performance on Saturday, the uncertainty on whether the race was good enough to beat Mountain Vista was apparent on each of the Coyotes' faces.
Even during his interview Isaac Green seemed to be distracted. Despite winning his second individual title, his mind seemed to be only on his team and Mountain Vista.
The feeling of unknown stayed until the stadium emcee announced Vista took second, and the Monarch boys erupted. In what may have been the most smile-inducing moment in the chute, the Coyotes literally jumped for joy. Certainly much of that enthusiasm came from realizing the quality of team it takes to beat a program like Mountain Vista.
How this idea of great teams in Colorado forging other great teams in the crucible of competition continues to play out could be a major theme for future state meets.
How does a team loaded with talent like Peak to Peak raise the bar for a division filled with the fast young teams we are seeing in 3A girls? Has Mountain Vista's historical dominance in 5A boys brought the rest of state up to new levels? For now patience is the only option for Colorado cross country fans.
In the meantime, many of the high level teams and individuals will travel to Casa Grande, Arizona, on the 19th in hopes of extending the season into December. Mountain Vista will have rematches against Broomfield and Monarch. Also how state standouts like Gregory, Oakley, and Norman fare on a national stage should be enough to keep running fans satisfied until the indoor season starts.