For the first time in several years, Albany High School’s girls cross country team is fielding two full teams of ideal size: seven girls on junior varsity and eight on varsity. This year’s higher numbers can be partially attributed to an influx of talented freshman, as well as new members from all other grades.
Last year, the girls team had only ten members, the bare minimum needed to field both a JV and a varsity team.
There were even less participants the year before when Albany had only enough runners to fill a girls varsity team.
Although Albany’s small number of female participants in recent years did not lead to any actual forfeits, the team is excited about having more runners. What does the higher number of participants mean for team members? In short, it means less pressure and more fun.
Last year, “there was always the risk that if a runner was injured or there was some emergency, the race wouldn’t count,” Grace Lu, a junior and captain of JV, remarked, “One race, Connie Ma fell and twisted her ankle. We were all telling her she didn’t need to finish. She ended up finishing because she knew that if she didn’t, Albany wouldn’t score any points. It was a close call, though.”
This season, girls cross-country no longer has to face that problem. With seven or eight runners, “you know it’s not all on you. It definitely takes the pressure off,” Lu added.
Another benefit, Saskia Braucher, a junior member of the varsity team, commented, “is [having] more people to bond with throughout the season. There are more people to support one another in practice and during races.”
Even without the intimacy of a small team, girls cross-country is finding plenty of ways to connect.
“We have pasta feeds and made tie-dye shirts at the beginning of the season with our nicknames on the back. We all support each other and even though we all have different personalities, we bonded over our running as well as our ability to relax, have fun, and laugh,” Tianna Diaz, a senior member of JV, explained.
Siobhan Bauer, a junior and varsity runner, expressed, “I know this is going to be a great season because of all the outstanding athletes and all of the girls are closely bonded with great team chemistry.”
Although the men’s cross-country team hasn’t suffered from the same lack of participants, they too benefit from having a larger women’s team. The better the women’s team does, the better Albany cross-country performs overall. With more runners, Albany cross-country is looking ahead to a successful season without the stressful disadvantage that previously accompanied their small size.
Albany is off to a great start. The boys team swept first through tenth places in their league meet against St. Joseph’s and Encinal, but lost by only one point in their meet against Benicia, St. Patrick-St. Vincent, and Holy Names. The 15 person-strong girls team is currently undefeated.
