On Tuesday October 17th, your CPS XC team braved the killer Garren Hills! However, little did we know that a fiery bus adventure also awaited us…
Danna:
First a recap on the race:
The day before the race, the mighty girls’ cross country team met in our beloved Coach Coakley’s AP Chem room for a pre-race meeting. Although the entire cross country team is rumored to make up 1/6th of College Prep students, there’s really only 51 runners, so it’s a slight exaggeration. With the entire girls’ team in the classroom, our numbers seemed even smaller than usual: 15 runners total. Coakley quickly set to work sketching out the course on the whiteboard, labeling an expansive part of the previously empty, white board “nasty hill.” To be completely honest, I have been terrified of big hills for a long time because to me, they are pain. However, I appreciated his warning since I tend to race better when I know what lies ahead, so I can pace myself to be ready for the inevitable aches and pains along the way.
The next morning was a blur. Even though I was still apprehensive of the difficult course, I immediately felt supported by the rest of the team when greeted by a field of “Manuchrome blue” upon my arrival at College Prep. The race did turn out to be challenging, but my love for running only grew because of the self-love and confidence I experienced upon crossing the finish line. Before every big competition, I try to recognize that not every race will be my best and not every season will be either. For me, cross country is about learning what you’re willing to put in – dedication, time, pain – and then pushing yourself to continue forward even when you think you’ve reached your limit. Most importantly, I have discovered how to both love and appreciate myself for both my good days and bad so that I am ready to take on that next race, practice, or running adventure coming my way!
Daisy:
Now a recap on our fiery adventure:
After the race ended, we all piled into the bus and were looking forward to being able to rest. However, we started to notice a beeping noise coming from the front of the bus. We anxiously looked out the back window and saw gas leaking onto the highway from the bus. Then, the bus seemed to freeze in the middle of the road before jolting back to life. Out of nowhere, the lights started flickering before abruptly turning off. On our way to the meet, the bus made strange noises, but I didn’t recognize the warning sign until it was too late. The minute we knew something was actually wrong when Brendan Hogg raced from the back of the smoking bus and exclaimed, “It’s going to blow!” (Maybe an exaggeration on his part)
Anna, Talia, and I rushed to the bus exit. Since it was the fourth time that bus had started up, we abandoned our bags and asked the driver to let us off. The rest of the team quickly followed suit, making sure to carry along their gear and backpacks. We waited on the side of the highway amongst the spiky weeds in the dark of night. We must have been quite the sight because after a few minutes, two fire trucks pulled up to either side of the bus. We overheard the firefighters trying to figure out how to get us off the freeway. Thankfully, the Head Royce bus rescued us, a happy ending to our meet and bus adventure. Luckily, nobody got hurt and we walked away with a new and exciting story.
Danna:
Don’t forget to scroll for a few screenshots of real life twitter messages about our bus adventure!
Another Note: We ran into some minor delays in publishing our article and had two other races (plus senior night!). Scroll down for some pictures of BCL 3 at Crab Cove and BCL Champs at Joaquin Miller!
Crab Cove!
Joaquin Miller!
