Hey guys! I'm basically just going to talk about cross country. So if y'all haven't heard, the girls team just won state for cross country!! It was so many years in the making, and I'm so thankful I was able to end my last cross country season like this. After six years of running, including 6am wakeup during the summer for practice, I made it! I was one of only two seniors this year on the team, and it feels so surreal that this was it. It was the last time I'll run 3 miles with my team, last time I'll run the state course at Natchitoches, my last cross country race, so many lasts. I'm thankful and proud that I can say I ran with no regrets. I wouldn't change anything. The team was really the best part. Some of the other runners are pretty young, but they were able to stand up against the pressure. I'm particularly proud of one girl who encouraged another throughout the race. It was a selfless act. Her primary concern wasn't beating her teammate, but having us win as a team. We needed each girl to do that. We won by 10 points against Country Day. Our 5th runner (5 runners are scored) was 13th (as a 7th grader!). Individually, I got 2nd place overall. I managed to claw my way back to the top two (9th- 2nd, 10th- 4th, 11th- 3rd). The last mile and a quarter was basically just me trying to get as far away as possible from the 3rd place girl. I knew that once I had 500m left (right after a hill, a little more than one lap of the track), there was no way I was letting her pass me. I tried to sprint as hard as possible until the end. When I finished, two people had to drag me to the bench by the arms as my legs went limp. I'm pretty sure there's a picture out there with my face all scrunched up as I finished. I was so happy when I found out we finished. It was only the 2nd time the girls cross country team has won in our school's history. The first time was when I was a freshman. I'm really proud of all of us, for how we ran yesterday and all the effort we put in over the years. If any girls from the team are reading this a few years in the future, I love you! I actually have state swimming now, so that'll be exciting. Then, I'm pretty sure seniorities is going to hit at the worst moment possible. I already know I have hours of homework piling up. This blog is almost my way of reliving the high and procrastinating doing my other work... Anyways, I know this most likely was not the most interesting thing ever to read (though I'm sure it came a close second), so kudos to you if you made it this far. See y'all soon (I don't come in until around 2am Thursday morning, so we'll see what happens there...).
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Dear Izzy,
Congratulations to you and the girls' cross country team! I'm so happy for y'all! I know what a huge deal it is to win first place in the entire state. I am also looking forward to the state swim meet tomorrow. To be honest, only two weeks ago I wasn't super excited for it because I had only qualified for one individual event, the 100 fly. At our last meet, I needed to drop 2 tenths of a second to qualify for the 100 breast, but instead I added 6 seconds. (This is when Hunter tells me it sucks to suck...) But I wasn't about to give up. Even though that was our last meet, I emailed Coach Emily and asked her if I could do a time trial for the 100 breast during practice. (You can qualify if you get the official time in practice.) To be honest, I didn't think I was going to make it, but I got a lot of sleep over the weekend, and at practice I felt confident. When it was time for me to swim, Coach Emily had everyone else who was at practice get out of the water and cheer me on. Breaststroke is the one stroke in which you can actually hear people cheering since you breathe every stroke, and as I swam the fastest 4 laps of breaststroke in my life, I thought of the scene in Bend it Like Beckham where Jess is preparing to kick the winning goal (sorry soccer people, I have no knowledge of soccer vernacular) and time stops for a second. She sees her relatives on the soccer field (in her imagination, since in actuality they're at her sister's wedding), but the knowledge that they support her and believe in her gives her the confidence to kick the goal that wins the game. (Nessun Dorma is playing in the background, and I'm not kidding when I say that I heard that song as if Pavarotti were singing it as I was swimming my final lap).
Anyway, all this today, I'm so grateful for my supportive teammates. It was so heartwarming to hear them screaming, "PULL! PULL! PULL!" as if their lives depended on it. I'm so proud of the cross country team's incredible first place win! Victory is so much more gratifying when you have someone to share it with. :)
Congratulations!
I'm so proud of you, Izzy. As a temporary member of the team during the summer (sorry about that...), I got to see the work you put in first hand. Honestly, seeing you run is surreal; I have no idea how you do it but it just amazes me. I know you've put in so much work this year and all of the other year. You were an amazing captain, and I know the younger girls really looked up to you as a leader and mentor (the entire team did really, both girls and boys). I'm sure you'll keep running after with the winter track season coming up and I know you'll do just as well In those competitions too.
Seriously Iz, congrats. You really deserve this win and I cannot express just how proud I am.
Hi Izzy! I am so so proud of you. I know all of you worked so hard this season, and to have it pay off feels like the most rewarding feeling. Especially with you being a senior, I think that makes it all really bittersweet. Considering I'm convinced I've died after a maximum of 2 miles, I have so.much.respect for you. I hope you never forget this feeling and feel it so many more times in your life. You deserve that. I'm so proud of you Izzy, Congratulations!!
Congrats Izzy!
We are a far way away from that first race in 7th grade, where we were the last ones on the bus and forced to sit together. That was where our friendship started, after all. Cross Country made a huge impact on me, even though I didn't do it through high school. I am glad that you did so well (I was there when you got 2nd the 1st time!), and I hope that you got all that you wanted out of your run (pun intended) with Cross Country.
At the same time, I can't believe that fall sports are over. It feels like yesterday that we all were sitting in the library for freshman orientation. I think that senioritis will hit soon, but I think that nostalgia will hit us harder because some things have been taken away. I am glad that State Meets are still happening.
Hey Izzy!
First of all, WOWWWWW!!!!!! I’m so happy for you and the team when I found out it literally made me so happy because this such a huge accomplishment for you all. I’m so proud!!!!! I also always admire you around this time of year. I will never forget how every year you have Championship week and it’s the only week you are gone lol. I’m also never going to forget how when you come back from your Champ week how you bring a huge bag of all your Halloween candy and indulge in all the childcare’s and gummies you saved. I admire you so much. Great job!!
Hey Izzy! Congratulations!! That's amazing! I can't say I'm surprised, though, you are always good at Cross Country. I know that at one point I wanted to join Cross Country, and once we started running miles in P.E., I knew that wasn't for me, and I realized how hard it is to do. I t's really impressive the work that y'all have put into the team, and it's so great that it payed off in the long run (no pun intended). Great job!
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