State Meet Postponed
11/08/18- The Cancellation
The OHSAA state cross country meet is often the final race of the season for the state’s best runners. To qualify for the state meet, the athletes had to qualify in at least the top thirty runners of their regional race. For some it is an impossible feat while others train all season knowing they are making it to state. The state meet has been held at National Trail Raceway for many years now and for the first time ever since the very first state meet began in 1928, it has been postponed.
Heavy rain tormented Central Ohio leading up to the state meet. It was Thursday, November 1st that state competitor, Ramen Felumlee, found out about the delay. Felumlee will be returning for the second year in a row to compete at the state level. He has put long hours and hard work into his training that has granted him a spot at the state competition only for his training schedule to be toyed with due to the cancellation. The National Trail Raceway Director, Jerry Snodgrass, stated, “While I wholeheartedly understand the impact this move has for all those involved in the event, this is the best solution for the safety and well-being of our participating student-athletes” (OHSAA). Along with all other state athletes, Felumlee had been tapering back his mileage during the week leading to the state meet in order to peak that Saturday. However, with the cancellation of the meet, he has needed to elongate his training and therefore has come to a stand still. “I can’t cut back more than I have because if I do, I will lose what I have gained. But if I try to go back up, I’ll be tired come race time” (Felumlee). This seems to be the question for all state athletes, how does one best train for unpredicted circumstances?
A race like this is such an important one that all athletes have worked hard to get to, it would be devastating to run a bad race due to weather conditions. The National Trail Raceway cross country course is currently flooded, as of Thursday, 11/1/18, with water up to the knee. All athletes have been notified of the conditions but there is not much we can do about the weather. Will the change of date change the conditions of the course?
11/10/18- Race Day
It was a cold, windy day as the best athletes in the state prepared for the race. I arrived alongside Felumlee at 9:45 am, only to see the mass destruction that had occured the night before. During the previous night, wind rose to almost 45 mph which demolished the team camps that had been set up the night before. Lucky, we did not set up a tent the night before nor did we bother setting one up the day of it was too windy to even attempt. Other aspects of the meet weren’t too bright and sunny either. The air was frigid and unforgiving. But that didn’t stop the runners from preparing for the last meet of the season. Throughout the race, there was plenty of frozen ground but there was also plenty of slick mud. Athletes were slipping and falling in every direction. Even with workers placing straw onto the course in the middle of the race, the gesture didn’t seem to make a difference.
The race ended with collapsing boys and officials crowding the finish line. Felumlee placed 24th, earning All-Ohio.
11/13/18- Post Race
Felumlee was anything but displeased with his race. Times were not quite as fast as usual but that was to be expected with the conditions at hand. So the question still stands, did that postponement of the state meet affect the races? All together, the effects were minor considering the condition the course was in previously. However, I do believe that the date change changed the mindset of the athletes. Some of them just weren’t into it. And who can blame them? Despite deplorable conditions and an improvised training calendar, the boys of OHSAA, Felumlee of LV included, had an outstanding end to their season.