{"id":6738,"date":"2023-10-22T10:35:01","date_gmt":"2023-10-22T14:35:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/?p=6738"},"modified":"2023-10-22T10:35:06","modified_gmt":"2023-10-22T14:35:06","slug":"whos-watching","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2023\/10\/22\/whos-watching\/","title":{"rendered":"Who\u2019s Watching"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This is another in the \u201cSunday Story\u201d series.  With all of the sadness, confusion, and straight-out craziness going on in the world, it\u2019s time for a break from analysis.  So here\u2019s a story about high school Cross Country running.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cross Country<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Last Saturday marked the \u201cbeginning of the end\u201d of the 2023 High School Cross Country season.\u00a0\u00a0For those who aren\u2019t sure about \u201ccross country\u201d; it\u2019s a big race, 5000 meters long (3.1 miles).\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s across fields and on paths in woods, up and down hills, through mud and water (when in the way) and around sharp curves.\u00a0\u00a0There are direction markings, but not the strict \u201clane lines\u201d of track and field.\u00a0\u00a0Cross Country is more \u201cfree-form\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0It begins with a mass start.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The starter stands about 25 meters in front and in the middle of a line of over a hundred runners.\u00a0\u00a0The gun is fired; then the starter sprints to the sideline to get out of the way. The whole time, he or she watches to see if anyone is knocked down (hopefully not them).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cross Country is normally the least officiated sport in high school athletics.\u00a0\u00a0At most meets (runners usually run at least six times during the season) there\u2019s the starter with the gun, and there\u2019s an official at the finish line.\u00a0\u00a0For most of the three miles there\u2019s little or no \u201csupervision\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0Some see Cross Country as an \u201cidyllic\u201d run in the countryside, but in serious competition, packs of runners are fighting for position and place on narrow paths.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s no joke to say, \u201c\u2026what goes on in the race, stays in the race\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0Elbows and spiked shoes sometimes become weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Qualifying<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Saturday was the first of the qualifying meets to the state championships.\u00a0\u00a0Only the top few runners and teams move onto the Regional meet this weekend, with even fewer earning the right to compete in the State.\u00a0\u00a0As a former Cross Country Coach, I know these weeks are the most important of the season:\u00a0\u00a0the focus and target of six months of effort: sweat, blood and tears.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0There is no \u201calternate qualification\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0Either you make the place in this race and the next, or your season is done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The folks that organize these meets recognize the finality of the results.  So, unlike most of the season, multiple officials are hired to act as \u201cumpires\u201d.  They watch the race, spaced out throughout the course.  They are there to \u201cmake the call\u201d if there is some unsportsmanlike racing, some intentional pushing or shoving, or, very occasionally, some actual \u201cfisticuffs\u201d while still racing (oh yeah, it happens!!).  But the real role of umpires is as a silent reminder:  someone is watching.  If a runner commits a \u201cfoul\u201d, there is no \u201cminor penalty\u201d in Cross Country.  Either your race counts, or you are disqualified \u2013 season over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a track official it may be the most boring job ever.  But it does exactly what it\u2019s supposed to do.  It makes the race about racing; strategy, and tactics, strength and speed; but not about conduct.  As the runners go by, everyone is aware \u2013 someone is watching, with the authority to end my season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The District<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Central Ohio has the biggest District meet in the state.  There are fourteen races, seven boys and seven girls; each with a set number of teams and individuals that qualify onto the Regional level.   Schools are divided by size, from small Division III schools, some just able to field the required five runners to be a team, to giant Division I schools, some with a hundred kids on the team to choose from.  But only seven can run per team, one school team for boys and one for girls.  Yesterday close to 1500 kids raced on the flat-fast course at Hilliard Darby High School, a race each thirty minutes, from 10 am until 4:30 pm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I watched them all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three Calls<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I made three \u201ccalls\u201d in seven hours of competition.  None of them involved the runners on the course.  While there was some \u201cjockeying\u201d for position in the race, no one committed a \u201cfoul\u201d that required me to begin the process of disqualification (thank goodness).  So what was I \u201ccalling\u201d about?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the coolest parts of a Cross Country meet is the crowds, pressed next to the course limits, calling out encouragement to \u201ctheir\u201d runners.\u00a0\u00a0Kids and coaches sprint from point to point on the course, trying to make a difference.\u00a0\u00a0Parents usually aren\u2019t moving quite as quickly, but they make up for their lack of speed with special yells, signs, and even cowbells.\u00a0\u00a0What for most of the season are sounds of heavy breathing, pounding feet, and the occasional muttered curse; is now almost three full miles of cheering and shouting.\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s the best part of the \u201cchampionship\u201d season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there are some rules \u2013 for spectators too.\u00a0\u00a0Besides not physically interfering with the race, the most frequent infraction is called \u201cpacing\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0You can\u2019t run beside your kid for any length of time, setting a \u201cpace\u201d for them to follow.\u00a0\u00a0If you do, then the runner gets that dreaded \u201cyellow flag\u201d leading to disqualification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disqualification<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

My goal is to never disqualify a kid, particularly for something their Mom, Dad or teammate is doing.\u00a0\u00a0So I exercise my prerogative to, \u201cpreventively officiate\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0In short, I yell at the parent or teammate \u2013 \u201cSTOP PACING!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0The teammate almost always gets it, the parents usually need a bit more education.\u00a0\u00a0So then there\u2019s a brief conversation, often followed by raised eyebrows and irritated shrugs.\u00a0\u00a0I don\u2019t care: I don\u2019t need agreement, only compliance.\u00a0\u00a0The last thing I want to do is raise the \u201cyellow flag\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had that conversation twice.  I had a third situation where I would have, but the father was yelling in Spanish, the daughter\/runner was responding, and he turned off the course before I had the opportunity to warn him.  Central Ohio is a diverse community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Always Dogs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

My third \u201ccall\u201d of the day again had nothing to do with running.  Not surprising for me, it had to deal with \u2013 dogs.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

People love to bring their dogs to Cross Country meets.  Technically, they are not allowed to, but  with \u201cfree-form\u201d cross country, it\u2019s hard enough to get an admission ticket from spectators, much less control who (or what) gets out of their car.  So there\u2019s often dogs out there, and the vast majority of them are well behaved, enjoying the crowd and the noise, the ready access to trees and bushes, and the frequent attention.  And on leashes \u2013 they\u2019re always on leashes.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve got five dogs at home.  I wouldn\u2019t take any of them to a Cross Country meet (I did take our old Lab, Dash, but he was a once-in-a-lifetime dog).  There would be too many dogs to bark at, too many little kids to chase.  And then the gun goes off \u2013 oh boy!!!!  But even with Dash, the perfect dog, I never let him \u201coff-leash\u201d at a meet.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So when I saw the little \u201cBenji\u201d dog having a great time chasing a tennis ball; all I could think of was Benji joining in the \u201cpack\u201d of  runners, as they went around my Umpire position.  Talk about wreaking havoc in a race!  So I exercised my dubious authority over the crowd:  \u201cHEY \u2013 YOUR DOG MUST BE ON LEASH!!\u201d  They began to explain \u2013 \u201cBenji (or whatever his name is) would never\u2026\u201d but I cut that off:  \u201cON LEASH NOW!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Again, irritated shrugs (and an \u201cI told you so\u201d from a nearby Mom); but Benji went on-leash, and a potential crisis was averted.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Watchers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There were ten umpires spread out over the \u201crepeating\u201d mile and a half course Saturday, usually at a turn. That\u2019s about one every 200 meters or so.  No one had to raise a \u201cyellow flag\u201d; no one was disqualified from the meet.  That doesn\u2019t mean the ten of us \u201cdidn\u2019t do anything\u201d.  We did exactly what we hoped to do \u2013 by our mere presence, and a couple of shouted \u201csuggestions\u201d, we made sure the race was fair, and the dogs stayed on leash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were watching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next week the stakes are even higher \u2013 the Regional race to qualify for State.  There are twenty-seven of us this time.  The stakes are even higher for us too.  Hopefully we can all \u201cjust\u201d watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sunday Story Series<\/h3>\n\n\n\n