“Any Old Road” is a column written by members of the Lawrence Cross Country Team for the pleasure and reading enjoyment of the entire Lawrence community. Its primary purpose is to serve as a venue through which statistics and results regarding the Cross Country team can be relayed… if just a bit creatively. The title “Any Old Road” is in no way meant to imply the use of a haphazard training method by the team.
On the weekend immediately following the release of the last Lawrentian, the Cross Country team traveled once again to Milwaukee School of Engineering to do battle with the best private colleges in Wisconsin. Games of touch-football replaced the high-flying kites, and the men’s course did not change in the ten minutes before their race, as it did last time. Both teams ran extremely well, and there was an abundance of high spirits on the bus ride home with plenty of chocolate chip-pumpkin bagels for everyone. To top off the day, Peter Levi, Jim Moran, and Faye Gilbert were named to the 1997 Wisconsin Private College Cross Country Championship All-State teams for their exceptional performances in their races.
Inspired by the nearly Oscar-winning performance of Mike Myers, both teams surged to second-place finishes at the home meet at Plamann Park. This was accomplished despite a “minor” detour by the Bluebird on the way to Plamann. The men were led by the third and fifth-place finishes by Peter Levi and Captain Jim Moran, while the women put five scoring runners in the top 20. The lucky (not to imply that luck really has much to do with it) women T-shirt winners in order of finish were Faye Gilbert, Nichole Cook, Anne Dude, Captain Chris Jones, and shirt-designer Jen Tbtoritis. The men’s team was supplemented by the college cross country debuts of Mike Donnelly, Thomas Julian Ow, Andy Peterson, as well as the long awaited return to action of Matt Siamy. As if turning in great performances on Saturday was not enough, Jim and Zach celebrated the Sabbath by lifting until failure at a multitude of weight stations. Their dedication to self- improvement will surely lead to stellar performances in the last two meets of the season. With only two weeks left in the season, the team is preparing for the Conference Meet in Grinnell, Iowa on Nov. 1.
Big Wood Recipients as of October 20th
Cathy Kempen – MSOE
Anne Dude – Parkside
Peter Levi – Carthage
Chris Jones – Beloit
Jim Moran – Private College Championships
Faye Gilbert – Viking Invitational
Today’s Take
As term begins to end, the various fall sports likewise conclude their seasons. In cross country, this means a trip to the conference cross country meet. This year the meet will be hosted by Illinois College in Jacksonville, Ill. In fact, at the very hour this paper is distributed, the cross country team will be boarding the bus for the 6.5 hour drive south.
As all of Lawrence’s fall sports partake in their final few competitions of the season, time comes to reflect on the past season, and share successes and failures with the greater Lawrence community. This happens through posts on social media, and via word of mouth. Athletes regale friends and teammates with stories of their season, and with hopes for seasons to come. And of course, The Lawrentian covers the Vikings’ athletic accomplishments in its hallowed pages.
The Lawrentian does a marvelous job of covering all that happens under the umbrella of Lawrence athletics. However, without being on the team in question, it is hard to truly do a season justice in the span of one short article. No one understands a sport like an athlete in the sport. The Lawrentian’s army of sports writers is good, but not quite that good.
To get around this, in 1997 the Lawrence Cross Country team wrote its own column, “Any Old Road”, to share its achievements with the campus community. Athletics right from the horse’s, or perhaps the harrier’s, mouth.
To a certain degree, athletes covering athletics makes sense. Athletes could easily give the inside scoop on their teams. Athletes know which victories are worth talking about, and which defeats hold a lesson. They know what happened on the field, pitch, course or court better than anyone. They were there. They did it.
I do not mean to suggest that The Lawrentian should sack its sports writers. However, I believe that it would add richness to the page if each week, a sports team were able to give its own account of its doings.
I believe that giving athletes a voice in The Lawrentian would be a good way to cover sports in more depth, allowing campus a better view into Lawrence athletics.
