Sachem North’s girls XC team traveled to Sunken Meadow Park for its Saturday, August 31 practice. A week one workout at Sunken Meadow is not unusual as Sunken Meadow’s is the home course for many Suffolk teams.
For most team veterans, this was their first post-Sandy visit to the park. The team’s first stop at the state park was the Moat. Storm Sandy breached the west end of the Moat creating a 20 foot wide gap on a section of the race course used at both beginning and end of Sunken Meadow’s famed 5K course.
As park workers were scrambling to repair the heavily damaged XC course in the days following Storm Sandy on October 29, the November 7 nor’easter caused additional damage to the park. Section XI was forced to cancel the County Championship Meet that is used to select its state championship team and qualifying individuals. Cancellation of the meet and a sub-par team performance at the Division Championship meet that would be used to select state teams for girls and boys XC shut Sachem North out of the NYS and Federation championship meets.
Ten months after Sandy, the storm-damaged Moat remains a visible reminder of the premature and disappointing end to Sachem’s XC season. The NYS Parks Department hopes to prepare the Moat by mid-October, in time for XC championship meets. In the meantime, the park will continue to serve as the center of Suffolk County’s XC universe with changes made to dual meet and invitational race courses until Moat repairs are complete.
Sachem begins it season as a top-25 team in pre-season polls. The team is led by 2013 All-County team members Elise Ramirez (11) and Mackenzie Coleman (10). Dowon Hwang (12), Oriana Howell (12), Monica Abrams (12) and Katie Michta (12) lead a talented veteran squad. Patricia Romano (12), Natalie DeQuarto (12) and eighth grade rookie Gabriella Mott add depth to a team that will be in the mix in big races in Long Island, in NYC and in the northeast in its most exciting fall campaign since its team County Championship season in 1998.
In addition to leading the team in races, Oriana, Dowon and Elise lead the team as tri-Captains in the fall season. The trio organized summer runs, leads the team in word and deed and are creating a family environment that makes team practices seem like a daily family reunion of 30 sisters.
There is a lot of laughter at team practices but the team’s demeanor quickly shifts to all-business once workouts begin. Workouts include typical distance and tempo runs as well as interval and threshold training.
Team members who attended The Running School in mid-August lead the team in active isolated stretching exercises. A steady routine of core exercises, plyometrics and weight room work including upper body, lower body and compound lifting completes a busy workout week.
Many veterans on the team completed a challenging summer training program with several team members logging more than 300 miles. Summer training provides a valuable foundation for a fall season in one of the most distance talent-rich regions of the nation.
Team veterans also wrote goals for their XC seasons. Some, like Elise and Natalie, have specific time goals. Dowon, understanding the importance of summer training, included a goal (which was achieved) to run at least 300 miles over the summer.
Cassie Pixler (10) – forced to train alone much the summer because of her work schedule found friend and teammate Emily Leath (10) to run with on occasion. Cassie, inspired by a team e-mail sent by Captain Dowon, found a mantra to push herself through lonely workouts.
“Train insane or remain the same.” “This quote pushed me through my whole workout because I was on my own,” wrote Cassie in her workout log. “Each time I went, I tried so hard to beat the time before that and it ended up working.”
Gabriella Mott – just the third eighth grader moved up to the high school team in its 40 year history – is joined by team rookies Gabriella Czerw (12), Emily Lin (10), Kaitlin Martins (10), Isabel Martins (9) and Hailey Lynch (9), all who have strong backgrounds in middle school XC and in track and field. There are 30 team members on the North Flaming Arrows Girls XC roster.
The team is coached by Alex Young and Rich O’Brien. Team members would agree that Coach Young is the long sentence and Coach O’B is the exclamation point. Following a week one team talk led by Young, O’B (as he is referred to by all team members) summed up the talk with a simple question. “What is the difference between ‘try’ and ‘triumph’?” barked O.B. After a pause he leaned forward and answered, “The ‘Umph!’”
Sachem will face other state-ranked teams during the dual meet season. Sachem East, Ward Melville and Northport – Long Island’s top-ranked Class A team – are on Sachem’s tough League 2 schedule. Other tests at the Adirondack XC Classic in Queensbury (site of the 2013 NYS Championship meet), at the Manhattan College Invitational in NYC’s famous Van Cortlandt Park and at Brown University’s Northeast XC Championship meet await Sachem as it prepares for the ultimate tests of the season at Division and County championship meets.
Section XI Championship meets are scheduled, as always, to be held at Sunken Meadow Park’s 5K course. A long awaited return to the post-season in the flat and fast Moat was a goal recorded by Elise, Oriana, Dowon and the rest of the North Arrows squad ten months ago. Until then, the team continues to log workout miles that will prepare it for its ultimate tests of the season.
2013 SACHEM NORTH GIRLS XC KEY MEETS:
- 9/17 – League 2 dual meet season opener versus Sachem East at North’s home 5K course
- 9/21 – Adirondack XC Classic at Queensbury H.S.
- 9/24 – League 2 dual meet versus Northport at Sunken Meadow
- 9/28 – Suffolk Coaches Invitational at Sunken Meadow
- 10/12 – Manhattan College Invitational at Van Cortlandt Park (NYC)
- 10/15 – League 2 dual meet versus Ward Melville at North
- 10/19 – Brown University Northeast XC Championship Inv. at Goddard Park (East Greenwich, RI)
- 10/22 – Division I Championship Meet at Sunken Meadow
- 11/1 – County Championship Meet at Sunken Meadow
TOP RUNNER STATS
- Elise Ramirez (11): All-County (’12), All-League 2 (’12), Fastest 5K – 19:03 (6:08 per mile), #3 all-time runner on home course, League 2 Rookie of the Year (’12)
- Mackenzie Coleman (10): All-County (’12), All-League 2 (’12), Fastest 5K – 20:19 (6:32 per mile)
- Dowon Hwang (12): All-League 2 (’12), Fastest 5K – 21:11 (6:49 per mile)
- Katie Michta (12): All-County (’11), All-League 2 (’11), Fastest 5K – 20:45 (6:40 per mile)
- Oriana Howell (12): Fastest 5K – 20:27 (6:39 per mile)
- Monica Abrams (12): Fastest 5K – 22:30 (7:14 per mile)
- Patricia Romano (12): Fastest 5K – 22:31 (7:14 per mile)
- Brigid Rattiger (11): Fastest 5K – 21:56 (7:03 per mile)
2012 Team Stats
- League 2: 3 wins-2 losses (3rd Place)
- Division I Championship Meet
- Championship Team Race – 5th place overall
- Division I ranking – 3rd place
- Suffern Invitational (9/15): 4th place Varsity B Race
- Bowdoin Park XC Classic: (9/22): 5th Place Varsity Race
- Suffolk Coaches Invitational (9/29): 3rd Place Varsity A Race
- St. Anthony’s Invitational (10/6): 1st Place Varsity Race
- Manhattan College Invitational (10/13): 8th place Varsity D Race
- Brown University Northeast Championship Meet (10/20): 1st Place Varsity II Race
-Submitted by Sachem North Coach Alex Young