The Long View: The Rise of Tandem XC Issue 3

The girls’ team has their faces painted green. They look like warriors. Before their race starts, they gather together in a huddle. I hear Lucy say, “let’s have a moment of silence.” They all go quiet. I think to myself, this is not old-school cross country, this is something new. 

Jason says he “encourages the runners to use this Quaker practice in their pre-race huddles to quiet their minds, settle into the moment, and look each other in the eyes and remember they are competing for each other. A lot of teams hoot and holler; we get silent and turn inward.”

Lucy, a sophomore and the current fastest runner on the girls team, tells me that she “started running in 5th grade, because I was very hyperactive and had to get a little control. I immediately loved running and haven’t ever taken a break. All the seasons.” I can feel her energy and enthusiasm for the sport. After I turn my recorder off, she asks me—clearly it’s been on her mind—“what was your PR?”

She describes the team culture as tight-knit despite its size. “This is the biggest team we’ve had in so long. It’s ridiculous. Last year we had an influx of new people and then the guys won the state championship which drew even more attention.”

I hear her navigating the same language I’ve been struggling with; “the team” means everyone of all genders, but then there’s also “the girls” and “the boys.” The team that scores is the gendered subdivision, and really it’s only the top five who score unless there’s a tie, but “the team” is a lot bigger than that. She describes the girls as “Really close. We talk about ridiculous things on our runs.” I remember this, the delirious things you talk about on long runs. Once you’re in shape, and running doesn’t feel like dying anymore, it’s a blast to be a part of a pack.

It’s clear that the team today is less co-ed than it once was, as numbers have grown and the boys have become more competitive they have also become more separate. The tricky thing, as beautiful as it is to have everyone practicing together, riding the bus together, stretching and lifting together, is that ultimately athletics are still deeply gendered. I’m reaching for a language that’s less binary than boys and girls, but it feels hard to escape when it’s the language of high school sports. 

Jason reveals that “The thing I’ve always worried about,” he pauses, “and I love that we’re a coed team,” but he wonders “if having two completely separate teams would help the girls be more successful.” 

I remember the annoying and frustrating things about running with boys. As we got older, I couldn’t beat them in foot races anymore. I remember the dirty jokes, the smelliness and endless silliness. But I also remember amazing things. The special feeling of cheering each other on, being in it all together. And after all the racing days are over, when it’s just about the beauty and love of running, it doesn’t matter.

I ask Lucy about her experience being coached by Jason and Ned. She says, “Okay, I love Jason so much. He’s so supportive. I don’t think that’s ever changed, he’s always been there to make running what you want it to be.” Lucy also likes the way that Ned and Jason partner together as coaches. “I don’t know how to describe it. It’s like Jason is the old soul but Ned ran in college, and so he knows that side of competitive running, whereas Jason is there to make it fun, Ned is there like, ‘Do you want to be fast?’ Which is a nice balance because then they both switch sometimes.”

I also ask her to share her individual and team goals for this year. “Okay, you can’t laugh at me. I’m at a 22:59 right now at the Panorama course and I want to be at 21:30, which is the school female record for a 5k. And I really want to beat that this year–per Jason. I’ve been training at 21 flat 5ks in workouts, but I’ve not been able to really get there yet. So I’m hoping that will happen.”

For the team, the goal is to win the conference. Lucy says “that’s either a this year thing or a next year thing, we’ll get it.” I love her sureness and confidence. I believe her. She sounds like Jason in Andy’s office, maybe a little crazed, but I wouldn’t bet against her.

Part 5: The Last Race

Pulling up the long drive to Panorama Farms, I’m reminded of all the times I’ve run here. Even though today I’m only here to watch, I feel a nervousness creep into my stomach. I want the team to do well. I want everyone to have a good race. The reality is some of the runners out there will have great races and others may feel defeated.

Hayes sets the stage for states: “It’s really two other teams-it’s Veritas School and Eastern Mennonite and everyone on their teams has steadily improved. Veritas is the one that, they’ve just gotten steadily better faster than we have.”

Teams are running by warming up and there’s a sea of tents, one for each school. I search for the Tandem tent. I remember when we didn’t have a tent. I finally find it, big and grey–these are the XC colors, grey and green. I see the boys’ team run by, Hayes leading the pack. They look focused, strong. Jason says he’s nervous. I can feel the anxiety hovering around the tent. Everyone is itching, ready to go, unsure of what’s to come. Ten minutes before the start time, the boys head over to the starting line to find their block. They run strides up and down the field. They jump up, shake their muscles, trying to stay warm.

The Veritas team looks strong, too. Their uniforms are these spandex sleeveless suits that run down to their knees. They look sort of like super heroes. As the teams stride, the sound of stomping feet echoes. It sounds like a horse track. Then the Tandem boys gather at the box and they do something none of the other teams do, they sit down. They’re resting. They’re patient. 

As the gun goes off, a Gator with a ticking clock leads the front runners and they’re out fast. Hayes is right there with another runner, Curtis Leechman from Wakefield, for the whole race. Not only is Hayes fast, but watching him compete, you can see his intelligence, his strategy. He knows how to wait and pick his moment. That moment came in the final sprint, he and Leechman are battling all the way, with people cheering all around. In the last 15 yards from the finish line, Curtis stumbles. He and Hayes are so close to each other I worry it’s going to throw him off, but Hayes seizes the opportunity and pulls ahead, crossing the finish at 16:13. Hayes is the Individual Virginia Division III state champion.

This is where things get interesting. We know Tandem’s top three are solid, and they are. Jack Blemker and Miles Griffith pull into the finish looking strong. But then it’s back and forth between us and Veritas. I find Jason surrounded by several of the JV runners who all have their phones out. They’re trying to calculate live. Holding the numbers of the Tandem boys to try and tally our score against Veritas. But it’s hard. People finish quickly, things happen fast, and you have to keep count. The official count won’t come until later. One runner is trying to tell Jason that he thinks we’ve got it, we’ve done it. Jason looks unsure. I can’t tell either. There’s a big gap where it seems several Veritas boys fly in and we’re waiting for Tandem’s number four.

Meanwhile, the girls are getting ready for their race. Even as they approach the starting line, I can feel that the focus is still on the score of the boys race. Still, the girls keep their focus. They stride and huddle. Laurel, a freshman, tells me she’s nervous, before she realizes her team has started a warmup lap and runs off to catch them. Their goal is to make it in the top ten teams. Lucy hopes to be all conference, which means coming in the top 20 finishers. Through the race, I keep trying to count her place.

At Panorama, you run through these wide open fields, on a winding course. As you near the finish there’s a big downhill to pick up speed and then a final hill to conquer. You’re exhausted at this point and this is where all the spectators gather to watch you. It can feel torturous. Once you crest the hill, you can see the end ahead of you and it’s flat, a perfect finish for a final battle or breakaway.

Rising over the hill, I catch something unexpected, though not unprecedented in Tandem XC history. Julia Glass, a junior, is running holding hands with someone on another team. Julia, who’s been coming back from an injury, was running when a girl near her fell on the course with half a mile to go. She wanted to drop out, but Julia helped her up and held her hand through to the finish.

After the girls race is over, results are announced. Dave, Tandem’s Athletic Director, shares, “Jason predicted that the boys would need to finish with less than 60 points in order to be crowned 2024 VISAA Cross Country State Champions... we scored 59 - and Veritas gave us everything they had - they scored 63!” For the second year in a row, Tandem XC claims 1st at States. Lucy ran a 22:33 and makes it in the top 20, a member of the Virginia all state team. The girls team comes in 5th place.

 I hope that part of the future of Tandem XC is a glorious girls team. I envision them having a whole page of their own in the yearbook, looking fierce and triumphant. The team today is young and hungry. I think in the next couple of years we’ll see them do amazing things.

The team at states (November, 2024)

Looking back over the past decade, Jason says, “In terms of the arc of it all, it’s…I think the reason I love patience and consistency is because that’s been true, that’s what it takes for any individual to reach their best but it’s also been true for the program.”

Jason says, “I think everybody wants the quick fix or the hack. There isn’t one. It’s consistency. You’ve got to do the work. You’ve just got to grind out the miles. You’ve got to be disciplined. Day in, day out, to be at that level, but that’s the thing! That’s not everyone’s goal and I don’t want it to be. Not everyone has to be that way. You’re just as important if your goal is to be out here and be a good teammate. I want them to know that running is something that they can have for the rest of their lives. It is a gift. It’s a tool that you can have to improve yourself mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually.”

Andy remarks, “I think Jason is a good example, and cross country, and Tandem in general, is a good example of taking the long view.” Day in and day out at practices and meets, you can’t sustain if all you’re doing it for is to win a championship. But if instead, or also, you’re there to, as Andy puts it, “celebrate being outside, celebrate being physically fit, maybe being a little bit competitive. Celebrate being together as a community,” those are the values that keep you showing up again and again, investing every day.

Ultimately, Jason says, running “can help you. You don’t have to be competitive. It’s not about winning or running PR’s. It’s just that running is a really healthy pursuit that can teach you a lot about life and help you stay mentally and physically balanced in a crazy world.”

Don’t you wish you could join Tandem XC? The beauty of running lies in its simplicity. Here’s the runner’s toolkit—all you need is a pair of sneakers, patience, and consistency.