Waking up early on Saturday mornings doesn’t appeal to most high school students, but the committed athletes of Palisade’s Cross Country team have no problem starting the day valiantly with their weekend meets. On Saturday, September 6th, the team journeyed to Gypsum to put their hill training to the test on the Siena Valley Club and Golf Course.
Girls started off the race, ready to dominate the challenging course. There were 240 runners in Senior Aspen Johnson’s heat in which she placed 58th with a time of 22:33 minutes. Johnson comments, “It was definitely pretty hard but I feel successful. It’s not a PR course, it’s more about placement than anything.”
The meet itself was huge and definitely an valuable opportunity for the Bulldogs to prepare for regionals considering that competition will take place on the same course, against the same runners in October.
Collectively, Palisade came out strong throughout the entirety of the race, despite the grueling demands of the hills. Energy conservation was an important component in this race, forcing each runner to alter their mindset and tactics on the course. Johnson says, “I conserved my energy until we got to the hills because I knew everyone would go out too fast and eventually get really tired.” Right after the first mile, it was hill after hill, until the last half.
One motto of the team is ‘Bulldogs Run United’ and that was definitely demonstrated. With Palisade varsity boys, girls, and JV teams all performing successfully, Palisade put undeniable pressure on the other competing schools. Bulldogs, from freshmen to seniors, JV to Varsity, girls to boys, exemplified comradery and good sportsmanship. Hugs were given after each race, paws were high fived, and smiles from Coach Molly Pietroski validated everyone’s performance. The Bulldogs were in good spirits knowing their performance was nothing short of excellence.
Palisade’s next meet is this Friday, September 12th in New Castle. Keep up the good work Bulldogs!
