Maybe nothing beats the anticipation and prospect of the beginning of XC season. It is a time full of hope and expectation. The long hot summer of sweaty miles and hours in the weightroom will come to fruition in either a joyous or disappointing manner. Questions linger in the air. "Am I in better shape than my competitors? Did I work harder? Has that injury healed?" Yes, it a wonderous time of anticipation, expectations, and questions.
The Downey varsity girls return their top nine runners from a 2011 season that saw them finish 2nd in the MMC and 11th in the D1 subsection meet--that is one painful spot away from qualifying for D1 sections. For them the clock is ticking. Their top two runners (Sierra Durham and Rocio Ramirez-Castro) are seniors. If the team is going to leave its mark on the history books, this is the year. The questions still linger...has Sierra fully recovered for the injury that painfully ended her track season; can Rocio continue to ride the wave of momentum she had at the end of track season; will the summer miles pay off for Natalie Franco and Ana Casas...as I said anticipation, expectations, and questions.
For the varsity boys they lost several solid runners from last year's team that placed third in the MMC and tied for 10th in the D1 subsection meet. It is impossible to mention Downey distance running without discussing Andrew Osgood. He has been the underachieving face of the team for the past three years. Saddled with a series of injuries and unreasonable personal expectations, he has had three years with flashes of brilliance mixed with waves of dissappointment. Will this be the year it all comes together for him? Newcomer to Downey (from Gregori) is junior William Music. Much like Osgood, his personal running career has been a mixed bag. Will he and veteren Guadalupe Torres be able to fill the gap between Osgood and the rest of the team? Will the boys be able to overcome the strong competition from MoHi and Gregori to breakout in the MMC this year. Will they be able to break into the top 10 and qualify as a team for sections. More anticipation, expectations, and questions.
With so many new members of the team who will emerge as the surprise "sleeper" who makes the big difference. I know one thing for sure, I'll be at those meet snapping pictures and screaming as loud as ever. Did I mention that I love this time of the year?
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