Words from a coach: Team bond sets stage for states

Coach Emily Young will not be able to attend Saturday's state meet. Here's a guest blog post from her to the teams:

The boys and girls teams are headed to the state meet on Saturday, and they both find themselves in a position that not many people expected them to be in at this point in the season. The boys, not even favored to finish top ten in the county at the beginning of the season, easily qualified for states by finishing 5th in the region. Tired of being underestimated, they repeatedly defied the expectations of their critics and made a name for themselves throughout the county and the state. I have no doubt that the boys will deliver another surprising performance on Saturday, providing a fitting ending to an inspiring season.

Unlike the boys, the girls were expected to be one of the top teams in the county, but they still constantly found themselves in Whitman’s shadow, a place that just about everyone seemed convinced they would remain. Everyone that is, except for the girls themselves. Like the boys, they were not content to have their talent underestimated, so they set their sights on Whitman and never looked back. Their hard work and determination paid off as they bested Whitman in their last two races, running smoothly and confidently to victories at the County and Regional Championships. If they can hold off Whitman and a talented Severna Park squad on Saturday, they have a very real and exciting chance to walk away as Maryland state champions.

While only 14 B-CC runners will be running this weekend, those 14 could not have gotten to where they are without the efforts of all 70 members of the team. This year’s squad was full of talented, dedicated runners who pushed themselves each day at practice and in races. Because they were all so determined to improve and because they all challenged each other to be better, earning a spot on the varsity team was not an easy task. The seven boys and seven girls running on Saturday are as good as they are now because they had teammates who forced them to fight for those top spots.

But it was not just the healthy competition that made a difference in the way the season played out. The friendships that evolved and strengthened over the past few months created a strong team bond and a positive atmosphere that set the tone for the late season success. At every race and during every practice, the kids supported each other and enthusiastically and proudly represented their team and their school. They knew how to work hard while still having fun, and as coaches, we could not have wished for a better group of kids to work with.

And finally, we owe so much thanks to all of the parents and fans who supported the team in so many ways throughout the season. From cheering at meets to taking pictures, coordinating fundraising and other events, providing snacks, hosting pasta dinners, and offering to help carpool, your efforts were invaluable to the team’s success this year, and they made our job as coaches infinitely easier.

I hope you will all come out one last time this Saturday to cheer on our teams as they represent B-CC at the state meet. Bring your signs, your body paint, your cowbells, and your best cheerleading moves and outfits, and let’s show these runners how proud we are of what they have accomplished!