Last week, Oratory’s JV Cross Country formally finished their final race for this short season. The team boasted many runners, including both veterans of the sport and brand-new talent. Our OP athletes on the JV squad put an astounding amount of effort in, both during the months of training preceding the races and during the actual competitions.  All of the runners, new and old, displayed true enthusiasm. While the season was sadly shortened, I think that many of us simply felt lucky to have a one. 

An important theme of this cross country season was overcoming challenges and adversity. Given the unpredictable world that we live in, this season was affected in many more ways than just being shortened. Still, OPXC took all of the changes in stride. Oh, you have to be ready for the season to suddenly begin because the start time for NJ is obscure? We’ll practice over the summer harder and earlier so we can be ready as soon as the start gun goes off. Coronavirus is adding additional safety hazards? Then we’ll adapt with additional safety measures, including separated running groups, strictly-enforced cone seating, and mask-wearing during warm-ups. There will be an increased workload? Then we’ll name more captains. In general, the team responded well to COVID-caused chaos by taking on changes as they happened.

Of course, none of that would be possible without our dedicated leadership. For coaches, runners were greeted with the familiar faces of Mr. McCrystal, Mr. Maybe, Mr. Crum, and Mr. Seebode. Even they couldn’t do it alone, however. As previously mentioned, the coaches named a record-breaking five captains to the team: Jaden Brescia, Logan Drone, Will Heffernan, Brendan Kleinle, and Aidan Philbrick. The entire leadership squad (coaches and captains) was excellent in keeping us working hard and working well.  Arguably most essential for the team, however, were the tight-knit bonds that us ordinary runners formed from running together during practice. By pushing through mutual trials and tribulations, our running groups and the entire team grew better together. 

Finally, along came the team’s first meet: the so-called “New Providence Duel”. The name is misleading; New Prov was there, but they weren’t alone. In all of the three JV meets, the opposing teams were some combination of New Providence, Johnson, Rahway, and GL. Each meet had at least two of those teams, but which teams were attending changed throughout the season. The New Providence Duel was fought at Oak Ridge Park in Clark, NJ on the 2nd day of October, after months of pre- and during-season training. Oak Ridge Park’s course is a winding, mildly-confusing loop that has a mix of mild hills and flat ground. While Oak Ridge had historically often been muddy and miserable with bad weather, October 2nd was fairly nice. 

However, there were more challenges chasing the New Providence Duel than even most other meets. Due to conflicting communication between the coaches and the officials, the race’s starting times had been shifted, causing an official to callously begin the Varsity race before one of the opposing teams could reach the starting line. Furthermore, confusing course markings (or lack thereof) caused the Varsity runners to accidentally travel the wrong course. Despite this new race only being ~2.63 miles instead of ~3.1 miles, they ran their best anyway. Afterward, the JV team  (who, yes, are the focus of this article) shrugged off that hit to their morale and prep to deliver their best. Conor Heffernan, Patrick Conniff, and Timothy Kling led the Oratory squad for JV.  Although the season began with a rocky start befitting of 2020, the race proved for us that the season was far from a bust. 

Not long after, our team returned to the Oak Ridge Park course once more, determined to take it on again in the Rahway Duel. This time it was October 7th, a Wednesday. Our runners were split into three races: Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Novice. Generally, we are ready to race, and race we did. The definition of who is Varsity or Junior Varsity is a bit shaky due to the differing numbers of people running in the Varsity races (7, 17, etc.) depending on the meet. Brandon Franks, Pete Skinner, and Logan Drone were the 8th, 9th, and 10th Oratory runners, so the fastest outside of the top 7. Still, if the top 17 are the Varsity squad, then Patrick Conniff, Rome Brachfeld, and Timothy Kling were the fastest outside of that group, with many omitted people in between the 8-10 and 18-20 that could be either.

In my personal experience, our team used each other to urge ourselves onward, becoming better as a team. Sometimes, it was giving verbal encouragement. Other times, it was one of our own speeding up that motivated his OP fellows nearby to also take their paces up a notch. Our bonds formed during the practices and meets, whether friendships or competitive rivalries, motivated us. This principle of improving together, whether conscious or not, guided us throughout the entire season. For me personally, running with (or against) my teammates was what helped me PR in both the Rahway Duel and the final meet. Continuing the good vibes, we had a short celebration of our seniors after the race, where Mr. McCrystal gave each a customized shoutout for their greatness over the years.

Soon…it was time for the final race of the JV team’s short formal season, the “GL Duel”. On October 15 (a Thursday), the JV squad pulled up in a big MyLimo bus to the location, Warinanco Park in Roselle. Warinanco is an almost-all flat course that is actually longer than a 5k. While the course is generally unpopular among the team, some find that they get very fast times or PRs there. Only the JV team ran, as the top 17 remained at Oratory to practice before their own meet on Saturday.

With plenty of time before the race began, we were able to indulge in our full warmup like we would at practice (in addition to a short run showing which way to generally go). Soon, after everyone finished stretching and getting hyped, we went to the starting line. As is tradition, we strode out and back a few times before circling up at the far side for speeches. Today, each senior among us gave their own words of encouragement. Almost before I knew it, the starting gun popped, and we were off. My personal impression of the race was that it was fast and frenetic, with almost all my energy dedicated to pushing even farther. The very presence of our teammates on that battlefield encouraged us all to go beyond our limits (or to discover the energy we had left all along). This time, the JV Top 3 were Rome Brachfeld, Brian Kelly, and Timothy Kling. Congratulations to them!

Of course, the JV Squad can’t go home to sit on the couch and eat snacks, not just yet. Mr. McCrystal asked all the JV people to stay on until at least Halloween. On that day, the Varsity squad and the coaches will be holding an informal 5k just for the JV runners. After that last hurrah, each individual runner can continue to attend practice or can be done without judgment. Meanwhile, the Varsity squad is not done racing yet. Good luck to them!

Personally, I had an absolute blast exercising in my running group. Like any sport, cross country forms bonds between players. However, I really do think that the unique “runner’s spirit” of common experiences, struggles, and joys is something that all runners share. The bonds among teammates, acquired by suffering together under Mr. McCrystal’s iron fist, are formed into something truly special. So, if you don’t have a fall sport, join up! You won’t regret it*!

*terms and conditions may apply