The Middle School Cross Country team competed in the Grymes Invitational (three teams) at Grymes Memorial School in Orange yesterday. The boys team won the meet, led by a 2nd place finish by 5th grader Clyde W and a 3rd place finish by 6th grader Fletcher S. The girls team also ran hard on a challenging, hilly course. Way to go, Middle School runners!
On the same day where the Middle School Cross Country team WON THE GRYMES INVITATIONAL with Clyde finishing 2nd and Fletcher taking 3rd, the Varsity Cross Country teams set several all-time Badger bests! The magic included a 40:41 for the Varsity Boys (an average two mile time of 10:28) - which shattered our 2024 time of 42:43 by TWO MINUTES! The team set a school record time, had our best ever overall team finish (4th - only CHS, AHS and WAHS placed higher) and had the highest individual finisher in school history - Hayes - who earned 3rd place overall (and it was tight - though none of the top 3 ran the same relay leg) in a decorated field! With all of the Central Virginia Cross Country powers gathered on a world-class course, the Badgers toed the line for the 2025 Ragged Mountain Cup. The only relay race of the season, each athlete runs two miles, and their teammate takes off as they cross the historic Panorama Farms finish line!
In order to be great at Cross Country, a runner needs to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Running your absolute best requires two types of risks. The first is physical, the inherent pain of pushing yourself to your limit. The second is mental and requires the answers to the following questions: "how do I maximize my ability during today's race? What will it feel like if I go faster? What will happen if I cannot sustain that pace?" When an athlete is able to compete with confidence and manage that pain, that is when the "October Magic" happens. Today, with a wonderful crowd of family and friends, beautiful weather, solid competition and a fast course, our Badgers took those physical and mental risks.
Varsity Cross Country - Calm and efficient, Eve used even, smooth strides as she made her way up the hill towards the mile mark. Positioned in 18th place, she kept her eyes up on the competition. As Eve approached the first downhill, she increased her pace, moving up three places. After a hairpin turn, Eve used short quick strides to move from 15th place into 12th on a tough uphill. Over the course of the second mile, Eve gained confidence - and ran faster - not showing any fatigue. She is in amazing shape! In the final mile, she moved into 9th - her first time running in the top ten this season! Eve ran negative splits (the second half faster than the first) and earned a new PR - 27:41 - her best time of the season by 37 seconds! This performance positions her to have even more success at Darden Towe in a few weeks when Tandem hosts the GPAC Championships! Eve has grown as a runner throughout the season and is now a force to be reckoned with - passing ten athletes during the race!
Right off the opening kickoff, Oscar forced the ball into the box. It was a tall task for Stuart Hall's defense, as the Badgers were constantly on the offensive, controlling the ball with confidence. Five minutes in, Shaan drilled the ball wide, where King began to set up an attack. He passed it back to Shaan, who used fancy footwork to get to the 18' foot box. He fired a shot, Tandem's first of many: the Badgers had more than ten shots in each half.