Crowther gained confidence going into zones

Justin Seward
Times Reporter

 

The Crowther Memorial Junior High School Cougars cross country team saw their training efforts paid off at the Okotoks meet last week, setting the school’s personal best with more Top 10 finishes than ever before in a group of around seven schools and several hundred kids.
“Our first meet was huge success for our team,” said Mertz. “Some competed in their first cross-country race, others refined race strategy and some got a reminder that running is hard work and racing can be a killer. All-in-all, everyone came out of the day happy and better racers.”
Mertz categorized his team as a ‘flatland’ team, which means they are used to the hill-less tracks, but thinks with hard work and preparation the team came together and fared well.
“Sometimes us flatland runners lack confidence going into hilly races,” said Mertz. “But as coaches, we are sure to prepare our kids through very hard training and race prep. They looked fabulous.”
Metrz thinks that perseverance paid dividends even if they weren’t used to that type of competition level.
“No surprises really for me,” said Mertz. “I just get to cheer and feel pride in my athletes. Some of them may have been surprised by the competitiveness and difficulty of cross-country racing. But hey, when you puke at the end of a race, you know you left it all out there.”
Zone results were unavailable as of press time.