Thoughts on Regionals and the 2007 season as a whole!
Sam Compton-Craig '09 -- When people ask me about the Bell Game and whether or not I am going to go, I always have an easy answer and I tell everyone the same thing. "No, I have bigger things to do that day." When they hear this they think I am crazy and mostly anti-social. Well, they have one thing right. I am crazy and so is the rest of the Wabash Cross Country team. For the past two years, the Red Pack has toed the line at the Great Lakes Regionals the same Saturday afternoon that the Wabash football team defends the Monon Bell. Bell week for the Wabash Cross Country runner is just another week where the Cross Country team has to deal with the reality that our sport is just not as popular as football. Then again, as coach Busch puts it, "If it were easy, everyone would be doing it." The saying became a reality the last 6 weeks of the season when it came down to training in two week cycles, and wishing everyday that you did not have to run over your weekly mileage which, by the way, is just a guideline.
The last six weeks of the season revolved around training for the regional meet, with the hope of accomplishing one of our season goals of making it to nationals as a team. The goal was in everyone's mind from day one in the conference room, where if you didn't believe it was possible you were asked to leave the room. As time winded down, the goal became more of a reality too, and we all knew that on that day we would have to put the past behind us, to accomplish something that has not been done in a long time.
During "Bell Week" when everyone was out drinking and having a good time, the Cross Country team was getting their work done and going to bed early. The night before the race, the pre-race butterflies took their normal spots, and pre-race rituals were being conducted. The next day we, as a team, toed the line knowing that we have trained just as hard as everyone else, and that we deserved respect, even when not given respect by those at our own school. We toed the line ready to make a statement to everyone that we aren't a bunch of wussies and that we are just as much of an athlete as those who cover their bodies with pads to stop pain. The race started, and right from the start the pain set in, pain that cannot be prevented by the use of pads, or be nursed during a time out or a substitution. The pain sets in, you bite your lip, think of the task at hand, and pick up the pace. The race only lasts for about 26-27 minutes, but it is the most painful minutes of your life, and you keep doing it, over and over and over again, and what does not help is that when the pain sets in, you pick up the pace, only a crazy man can do that, and believe me, we are all crazy.
The race finished, we crossed the line and for us, it would be the last time for a full year. We did not fulfill our goal of going to nationals, and most people could care less. To those who care less, we will gain our respect someday, whether you want to give it to us or not. We will go to nationals next year, and I have no doubt. That is the last of this season, and now it is in the past, and there will be no more thought of it. We will train our butts off through the snow, not inside like every other sport can (for a while I thought we were going to play the Bell Game inside). We will hit the roads, the trails, the weights, and the hills. Next year be ready for us...that is a fair warning.