Why I love cross country

Those aren't pillows!!!

 

I would have yelled, "Where are all their state championships?" That would have shut them up.

 

Fanboi loser letter aside, cross country makes for some good copy. Runners are somewhat esoteric, not to mention a little goofy. Good quotes. What other sport do the athletes actually rub off their toenails just by doing what they do?

 

I'm with this albert ... what's wrong with talking to a lineman?

To be sure, Joe: If that "fat slob" of a lineman has signed with a D-I school, are you still going to ignore him?

 

There's the solution:

"Ma'am, we'll get back with your son in, say, 35 years for a really good centerpiece. Have a nice day."

 

On signing day, no. After that, yes. Wait, who am I kidding, I'm pretty much ignoring him on signing day too.

No seriously, the fat slob linemen don't get D-1 scholarships. If the kid that parent is writing about is true D1 linemen material, chances are pretty good we've mentioned them, time and time again...their parents aren't writing or complaining to us. Why would they have to?
The fat slob parents are.

 

I like covering cross country. It's fun to be around when the teams are good and contending for state championships. The kids do care just as much as the football kids, which doesn't mean they require equal coverage, but does mean there is plenty of passion, excitement and heartbreak to help color a story.

It doesn't deserve ink equal to football, but the venom here for the sport is stupid.

 

I too enjoy covering cross country. The kids are great interviews, no big heads and any sports where mass vomiting and passing out in the chute is commonplace, well, I love it.

 

One reason I don't cover cross-country more is a practical one. The meets (the dual meets) are scheduled for Wednesday afternoons, at the same time as the deadline for one my papers. I have to be in the office at that time. I have no choice.
Do you want me to cover the meet or do you want a paper on Thursday?

 

Granny, your sidesaddle is quite disturbing. Mostly because I was eating a chocolate chip cookie when I saw it.

 

We cover it. Last season kids from our county accounted for five of the eight individual state championships and two of the eight team titles. One school from our county has won seven state titles this decade and another is on a three-year state title run from its girls.

All total, schools in our county have won 101 state team titles with 32 being in cross country.

We even cover the preseason meets, I happily give up my Saturday mornings. It's a big sport here, not football, naturally, but it generates a lot of interest and certainly delivers at season's end.

Mark DeCotis
FLORIDA TODAY

 

Great T-shirt slogan seen at a cross country meet:

"Our sport is your sport's punishment."