The Sweetest Pancake
It’s like clockwork. Every summer the members of the cross country team practice long and hard and once school begins and the season opens they usher it in with a much loved tradition: The Pancake Race.
Since it’s senior year this was meant to be a race to remember-and it was. A week before the Seaside Invitational the entire team, boys and girls, are broken down further into smaller groups designated by themes. They warm up, they race, they eat pancakes in their chosen outfits and it is so much fun to watch! In the past they’ve dressed according to countries, music, and horses. This year it was holidays and Madeline found herself on Team Hanukkah.
The temperatures have been lethal this past week, reaching highs of 115 degrees and lows in the 90’s which made practicing hard. Thankfully today dawned with relative coolness-a balmy 80 degrees. It made it easier to enjoy watching our sweet girl run.
The girls raced first. They warmed up, did striders, hydrated, then ran the familiar course around the school. Every step of the way Jackson and I trailed them, following the footsteps of other parents and coaches. We cheered! We took pictures! We encouraged them to push a little harder because in the words of Coach Greenberg: "Race day is always about pushing the envelope of your training and discomfort 'in pursuit of something more.’ "
And boy did they. This is a team of strong gals and guys. They work hard, they train hard, and they run hard. But the best part? They have fun doing it. We stayed long enough to see Madeline run through her cool down and see the boys race, enjoying the annual breakfast of pancakes and sausages, but the best part came a little later when we learned that Team Hanukkah won the race, with the girls team coming in first place. How awesome! This was a super way to kick off the season.
The cross country team is a wonderful group of high schoolers, but without question they wouldn’t be half as successful without their coaches guiding them, pushing them to take their skills to the next level. And let’s not forget the parents! We do our part as members of this wonderful community and as we look ahead to the next few months of racing and traveling together all I can say is one thing: GO EAGLES! Enjoy the 2017-2018 season.
