Under the lights on October 25, 550 athletes from 20 Bay Area high schools took to the track for the cross-country season staple called ‘Mid-Season Mania’.
With a festival-like atmosphere, music blaring through speakers, and the fastest runners preparing for their competitive 8 laps, the night was set for some amazing performances.
The competition, starting at 4pm and ending just after 10pm, consisted of 18 mixed-gender heats where the athletes tested their fitness over a 3200-meter race.
The competitive atmosphere of the meet contributed to plenty of great performances, while also providing athletes with their fair share of nerves.
The freshman perspectives shared a common line of characteristics: excitement, nervousness, strategy, and execution. Their first cross country season had tested the rookie athletes with many tough uphill courses. A switch to flat track contributed to some amazing first experiences at Mid-Season Mania.
Freshman Kiona McCasland shared her personal experience: “I was nervous for how difficult I knew it would be, but I was also excited for the glory of finishing.”
Freshman competitor Amalia Contreras said, “the energy from the team was really high and everyone was super uplifting.” The enthusiasm of the team added to the supportive atmosphere of the night.
Head coach and meet director Chuck Woolridge encouraged the runners to make race plans before the meet in order to attain their preferred time.
Freshman Nora Lawrence said, “I felt pretty good going into the race.” Her race plan was to focus on her splits for the first mile, then speed up. Lawrence said the highlight of her night “was the end of the race,” because she “loved the last 100 meter sprint when the whole stands were cheering.” For her first time participating in Mid-Season Mania, Lawrence noted that she enjoyed the “positive energy from the people on the team.”
Freshman Drew Shogan also commented positively on his own experience. He felt “confident and created an extensive race plan beforehand.” For his said race plan, Shogan planned to “pace the first mile, then move into position on laps five and six, then kick the last two laps.”
Shogan’s performance only added to the spectacular race trend of the night. He mentioned the energy of the atmosphere and the support from the team. Shogan agreed that “it was definitely a highlight of the season.”
The Campolindo freshman followed the leadership of the coaching staff and veteran athletes to perform exceptionally well. The team had a remarkable show of fitness and strategy from the rookies that contributed to the team’s success across the night.
