As I look down the roster of NXN schools, I often wonder, "What kind of school is that?"
Clearly, many of the schools in this year's race are parochial schools. Other schools I know to be ordinary public schools. A few are neither. We (The Classical Academy, aka Pikes Peak XC) fall into the last category. So, I thought I'd take this opportunity to introduce the school, the team, and the coaches.
But, first, a piece of explanation. Last year, we were Colorado Springs XC at NXN. This year, we are Pikes Peak XC. Why the change?
Two reasons, actually. One, Pikes Peak dominates the landscape of Colorado Springs and is probably as recognizable of a name for a geographic feature as exists in the entire country. Nike wanted a name with geographic ties; they got one. Second, it just wasn't very flattering to have NXN singlets that read "olorado Spring." The leading 'C' and terminal 's' kind of got lost in the old armpits. The accumulated trauma of it all probably cost us three or four places.
The School
The Classical Academy is a public charter school on the north end of Colorado Springs, across the highway from the US Air Force Academy.
The school is a K-12 school with a high school (9-12) enrollment of 590. Before we approached our building capacity, we took in new students at all grade levels. That has changed in recent years and new students are now taken off the school's waiting list to replace those departing from the school only through grade 7. So, we must develop (and try to keep) whatever distance talent comes through the doors when the students enter junior high.
All students are required to take Latin in junior high. Many continue that course of study in high school. The entire curriculum is college preparatory in nature and emphasizes the liberal arts. Uniforms (essentially office casual) are part of the daily life of TCA students.
The school is located at an elevation of 6700 feet. While many of our meets are run at elevations down to about 5000 feet, essentially all of our training is at 6700 feet. We train, almost exclusively, on a crushed rock county parks trail on the grounds of the Air Force Academy. Running in spikes is a bit of a novelty for us, as it is for most harriers from western states.
The Team
Brittany - a freshman who has been steadily improving all season after a very solid career of junior high cross country. She didn't start the year as a varsity runner but quickly earned her spot and ran a PR of 19:40 on a pretty challenging course at the NXN-SW regional. Brittany proudly informs us she is MSG-free and serves/meddles as the team conscience on all matters of diet.
Nicole - another freshman, Nicole probably has the deepest athletic pedigree on the team. Her father was a pretty capable college quarterback back in the day. Nicole didn't run cross country in 8th grade, choosing instead to dabble in volleyball. She probably ran about five miles over the summer, most of which was unintentional. We started her out on a five-day-a-week training schedule (six is the usual in our program), and she has flourished. Ran a season best 20:17 at NXN-SW in the open race, but has been steadily improving her times all season long.
Shelby - the lone sophomore on the varsity team. Her father has an extensive background in broadcast television, and Shelby inherited the gene for being at ease in the public eye. When Shelby speaks, people turn their heads and listen. It's uncanny. She's also the one you see getting ping-ponged coming off the hay bales in the 2008 NXN highlight video. She's been fighting off an ailment this fall and hasn't quite matched her freshman times, but is getting stronger and finished 14th with an 18:47 at the NXN-SW regional. Shelby has been running distance for what seems like forever, competing in several USATF national races as part of the Landsharks Running Club prior to entering high school.
Meredith - our only junior and probably the spunkiest member of the varsity team. Consequently, she gets teased a lot. Don't feel badly for her, though, she is altogether too happy to dish it out. Meredith never ran distance until she was a freshman and came out for cross country solely as moral support for a friend who wanted to be part of the program. The friend no longer runs cross country, but Meredith discovered her gift about one year into the adventure. She ran in the open race at last year's NXN and gets her chance at the championship race this year. Owns a season-best time of 19:29.
Elaina - a senior who never participated in a running sport until track of her sophomore year. We tried her in the 800 one meet and the rest is one continuous saga of progress. Elaina earned a spot as our seventh runner at NXN last year and has moved her performances up again this year. Elaina has a season-best time of 19:34.
Emily - a senior and another team member with a strong athletic pedigree. Emily's cousin ran in the 2008 US Olympic Trials in the 400 meter hurdles. We "discovered" Emily in track as a 300 hurdler--an event in which she qualified for state as a freshman. Contrary to my usual policy, I lobbied hard to get Emily to come out for cross country, which she did as a sophomore. The rest of the story has been pretty spectacular. Emily loves the hay bales at NXN and placed 8th at NXN-SW with an 18:26.
Kaitlin - a senior and, by nature, the quietest member of our team. Kaitlin has been a nationally-ranked runner for three years and a three-time Colorado 3A state cross country champion. As a result, she has of necessity grown a little more at ease with the glare of the spotlight. The Colorado Gatorade XC runner of the year in 2007. Ran 17:51 at NXN-SW to place second.
The Coaches Chaperones
Chaperone Rogers - now in her second year with the program, Chaperone Rogers is a later-in-life runner. She never ran at all until about 10 years out of high school, but is a regular placer in her age division in races around Colorado Springs. She's a good calming influence on the team and gifted at helping team members to see when they need to be taking things a little more ambitiously in practice.
Chaperone Versaw - I never ran cross country in high school and only started dabbling in road races when in college. A bone chip that came loose in my knee during my senior year of college, and had to be surgically removed while in graduate school, put the kabosh on my running until I was 40. This is now the 10th year for the high school at The Classical Academy and my 10th year as the coach of the program. I tell people, and I mean it, that I have the best job on the planet.