Five-Week Season Replaces Some Of What Was Lost To Cancellation Last Fall, With New Focus Placed On Re-Socialization

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

As the runners gathered Monday afternoon at Summit High in Bend, a rainbow appeared in the sky to the east. 

After more than 15 months of waiting, an official cross country practice began with a hopeful sign – at least until the clouds shifted. 

"We were excited to be back at practice," junior Maggie Williams said. 

Monday marked the return of cross country practice in Oregon and New Mexico. Washington and California are back in play, too, with small late winter cross country meets beginning to populate the calendar. Virginia is also getting started, with meets set to begin March 1.

The girls team at Summit still has four members of the 2019 Nike Cross Nationals runner-up squad, and it's been a long wait to pick it up again. 

"It's been really tough, especially with motivation," senior Jasper Fievet said. "We have got to focus on the bigger picture, like everybody else, I guess. I'm just really happy that (practice) is finally here."

For a program that won an NXN title in 2018, the outlook on a five-week season of local meets feels modest. 

Coach Kari Strang, who waited a year between getting hired to lead the program and her first official practice, is placing value on the elemental components of being part of a team: Running together. Caring for one another. Remembering what it felt like before COVID-19 changed the normal pattern.

"I think the main focus right now is just to keep it a positive experience," Strang said. "Perspective changes when you go through what we've all been through. We are really going to value being together and use the camaraderie of the team to make it that much better. The theme right now is being grateful for what we have and not focusing on what we don't."

What Summit and other schools in Oregon have is a five-week season that will not culminate with a district or state championship. The Oregon Schools Activites Association Board decided last week that it was not prudent to hold a state championship meet because of uncertainties about travel and hotel stays. 

The Storm will have five meets, starting with a "rust-buster" two-person relay event March 6. 

The remaining races will all be conducted within an hour of Bend on the east side of the Cascade Mountains. 

It is possible that the largest meet could have four or five teams. 

"Just running together again and having as much fun together as we did  before gives us something else to think about," sophomore Barrett Justema said. 

Strang and her assistant coaches greeted 50 boys and girls Monday at practice. 

They all know it's going to be a different experience and are keeping a hopeful eye on the fall. 

"It's been a wild ride and I feel incredibly fortunate. I feel like I was put in this role for a reason," said Strang, who was a Psychology major in college. "Last summer, when we still thought we might have a season, I was really focused on things that I thought were my weaknesses, like physiology and biomechanics. But now, it's just about being there for them.

"Even if these meets aren't what we'd design them to be (in normal times), we're still going to put the glitter on, put ribbons in our hair, all the fun stuff that we can do to celebrate the team."

Several Oregon coaches are discussing possibilities for a culminating event on the weekend of April 10. It could be a club meet, or perhaps a track race. 

Strang isn't committed to any of those ideas just yet.

"I'm interested in doing whatever the kids want to do," she said. "For a while, I was thinking we need to make these meets flat and fast and competitive. But honestly, whatever keeps them wanting to come back in the fall, and keep running for the rest of their lives, that's what I want."

The victory Monday was in running together – masked – and being part of Summit cross country again. 

The rainbow disappeared over the course of two hours and sleet began to fall and pelt the shivering runners. 

Instead of beginning in the warm, dry heat of late summer and moving toward the colder weather, it's going to go in the reverse direction. 

In that way, and for many other reasons, cross country season will feel different and a little bit backwards. 

The good news is that they will get to wear the uniform again. 

"We just might have to wear a sweatshirt under it," junior Teaghan Knox said.