Mountain View's Stephen Chipman ranked high among the state's top sophomores last fall. Look for him to key another strong surge for Mountain Vista this fall. Photo submitted by Dan Geisler.
Every cross country season brings with it new questions to be answered. As I sit on the sofa and think about the season ahead, here are ten big questions that come to my mind:
10 Big Questions
1. Will coaches and athletes love the new state course (more information to follow about the state course later in the summer)? Early indications are that it should be fairly spectator-friendly, has no hard surface, and that it includes a lot more up and down than either of the last two state courses.
2. Is anyone else hoping for cool conditions and maybe a little cloud cover on September 4? It could get a little hot and toasty (and probably a lot dusty, too) for the huddled masses in the JV races at the Lori Fitzgerald Pre-State Invitational--barring some kind of gift in the weather department.
3. Can Kelsey Lakowske return from surgery to the kind of year she had last year?
4. Who fills the voids left by Alamosa and Greeley West in 4A? Both of last year's team state champions departed for new classifications.
5. Coach Dalby is back at Mountain Vista. Can the teams in green (see cover photo) continue their rise to the top of the pile? It will be interesting to see what region the Eagles get plunked into as they did not appear on the list of 5A cross country regions in the cross country committee report. Ditto for whatever region(s) Ponderosa and Castle View get plunked into.
6. Will combined regionals be the trend for the year? We already see three regional sites (Fountain Creek Regional Park, Clement Park, and Montezuma County Fairgrounds) that will be hosting two or three regional meets at the same venue on the same day. Figure that Monument Valley Park--which has been doubling regional meets off and on for several years running--will be another such site.
7. Will this be the farewell tour for any of several legendary Colorado high school cross country coaches? I won't mention any names here, but there are a few who have hit 30-plus years of service.
8. Last year, no western slope team managed a top-five finish in either 4A or 5A. Historically speaking, this is a substantial departure from the norm. What schools are most likely to bring this mini trend to a screeching halt?
9. Does anyone not yet know that Greg Weich is back in coaching at Broomfield High School? All the best, Greg, as you wade back into the waters!
10. Of all the teams changing classifications, could anyone be happier about the reduced travel schedule than Durango? Instead of a six-hour bus ride over Wolf Creek Pass to Colorado Springs, the Demons get to travel 45 minutes over Hesperus Hill to Cortez for their regional meet.
Feel free to tack on questions of your own in the comments section. Or, if you have no questions to add, feel free to speculate shamelessly on the answers to any of my questions!