The Circle of Life

As the buses pulled away, and Cutler Park was left to a few joggers, dog-walkers, and yours truly, who still had to get in his workout, I felt surprisingly calm and optimistic about the future of Newton North Cross-Country.

Yes, the Needham boys beat Newton North for the first time this century (winning 22-34 and taking the first three places). But Needham won for the most basic of reasons; they were good and they were in better shape. I thought to myself: it's the Circle of Life in running: a few runners with a passion train together for a couple of years, bringing other people on board, and suddenly a team that was the doormat for the league three years ago is looking like a potential runner-up to Brookline.

Meanwhile, I find myself impressed at the performance of Newton's junior class. Seb, Ben, Charlie, along with senior Alex Ribner, ran extremely well and will only get better. (Don't underestimate Alex! He ran in the mid 18:00's for 5K in his first ever cross-country race. He will be a solid member of the varsity this year.) Add to that core, Peter Sun and sophomore Dan Hamilton (an impressive debut race of 18:16), and the team looks very, very solid. I think Chebot will improve a lot as his fitness catches up to his ability. I think Seb will get much better as he learns how to pace himself better, and I think Dan will improve steadily. I see a full team of guys who can run under 17:30 for 5K, with all but one of them returning next year. Just keep running, boys, your time will come. That's what the Circle of Life is all about.

And for you alumni out there who are tempted to mourn the dominance of past years, mourn no more: these kids are alright, and they'll do just fine this year and even better next year.

As for the girls, last year they suffered the first loss to a Carey Division opponent in thirty years. Yesterday their top six looked virtually unbeatable, provided everyone stays healthy. Jess looked as strong as ever, winning easily and continuing on to do a workout after the race. Haleigh Smith is in great shape and almost broke 20 minutes, despite not going all out. The four sophomores -- Nora, Carolyn, Adina, and Franca -- demolished the Needham pack, and there were some very promising performances from Becca Park, Tess Johnson, Sally Zuar, and others.

It looks like next week's Tuesday showdown with Natick at Cold Springs Parks will be a barn-burner. Natick's Rebecca White set a course record at Larz Anderson Park yesterday, with Anya Price not far behind. See Jess run against those two, with Haleigh in the mix as well will be a great race.

In other league news, Weymouth girls easily defeated two weak teams, Dedham and Braintree. Weymouth figured to be one of the better teams in the league, but Natick might have made it's case as the second-best team (behind Newton North). I haven't seen the Wellesley results yet, but they will be strong as well.

Back to the boys -- at the beginning of the season I thought North would have trouble beating Weymouth; now I think they can do it. They have a good pack, and I think Seb can win against Weymouth's best. The meet isn't for another five weeks, but I can hardly wait!