"I attacked the hills. With my spikes."

The cross country team ran over the river and through the woods in an effort to tackle a hilly and daunting Smokey Glen Farm course on Tuesday afternoon. Except instead of a river there was a creek, and instead of woods there was a Christmas tree farm. While Christmas trees are usually associated with presents, family, and holiday merriment, the team formed some new associations, namely pain, agony, and sweat. And though the unforgiving course seemed more like a lump of coal in their stockings than a neatly wrapped package under the tree, they soon discovered that the feeling of accomplishment they felt as they finished the race was a far better present than anything they could ever hope to find under a tree (parents, this exempts you from ever buying holiday gifts again). Sophomore Amanda Cohen summed up her proud feeling of accomplishment after the race saying, “I felt like blahhhhh on the hills, but I attacked them. With my spikes.”

Led by senior Ava Farrell, the girls fought the hills and ran their way to a first place team finish. Farrell, who was almost disqualified for boldly defying the meet official’s order to remove her earrings, finished third overall in the race. B-CC’s next three finishers were the McFreshmen- Nora McUmber, Abby (Mc)Fry, and Kat McNeill. Annie McElvein, McFreshman number four, also finished an impressive 9th on the team behind a talented pack of Caroline Leuba, Hallie Jester, Laura Nakasaka, and Angie Peterson. When asked about the McFreshmen’s performance today, Coach Chad Young commented, “they ran McFast.” Also running fast today was Freshman Ali Friedman. Despite the steep, relentless hills, Ali ran almost a two-minute PR, and she was the only member of the B-CC team to do so.

The boys began their day with their new pre-race ritual, a motivational speech from Captain Greg Picard. They each took a knee around their revered leader and eagerly absorbed his every word. His speeches, now famous among B-CC athletes, coaches, and parents, have been proven to add speed to legs and courage to hearts. Coach Young is “sure his speeches will be his legacy” and hopes that someone “will be able to fill his shoes once he graduates.”

With Greg’s words in mind, the team took to the course with aggression and determination. Alex Riishojgaard and Peter Horton stepped up once again as B-CC’s top two runners. Captain Nick McGreivy, whose positive attitude and leadership have been vital to the team’s success this season, finished a few short seconds behind Horton. Nolan Ebner and Aidan Hennessey battled it out for the number four spot on the team, with Ebner barely edging out Hennessey. According to Coach Young, “Aidan and Nolan make the team better by fighting for that fourth spot.” The team’s efforts earned them a third place finish out of six strong teams.

The only PR on the boys side came in the JV race as Bill Foley ran 8 seconds faster than he has all season. Senior Ethan Ebinger led the way for the boys in the race despite questioning whether or not he could run the race at all due to injury. Kyle Nakasaka also turned in an impressive performance in the JV race.

The final B-CC runners that deserve recognition are Solomon Goldfarb and his crew of injured reserves. Goldfarb and Senior Alison Thomas gather the injured each week at meets and assign them jobs for the races. These unsung heroes of the team record times, hand out numbers, and execute their best cheers in an effort to support their able-bodied teammates. Their positive attitudes in the face adversity set a great example for all, and their often-unnoticed contributions are vital to the team’s success.

The team will be back in action on October 22nd for the County Meet at Gaithersburg High School.