On Friday September 15, the girls cross country team packed their bags, hopped on a bus and headed off to Corpus Cristi for the Islander Splash meet. The itinerary for the meet included a stop by Buc-ee’s, dinner at a local restaurant, a variety of different races, and a few hours on Corpus’ beaches.
The meet was one of the first overnight meets the cross country has had in a while, making the experience all the more refreshing for the team.
“ [I like] the experience of going out with everybody, getting away from the school, and being with friends,” Emma Garces, a junior, said.
To get there, Coach Pollack drove the bus for over 200 miles in about 4 hours. There was a brief stop at Buc-ee’s for refreshments, but otherwise they spent most of their time cooped up on the bus. The long drive was anything but boring, as the team conversed and sang along to songs together.
“The bus ride was the most fun part about the trip,” Regina Paseiro, a senior, said, ”We jammed out to a lot of songs and just talked the whole time. It was really fun.”
At around 4:30 in the afternoon, they arrived at the course for the meet and inspected it for advantages for the race. Due to the proximity to the coast, the course’s ground was much less rigid, making it unstable. It was also already 85 degrees when they began running, which made scouting the course less enjoyable than expected. However, the team made the most of it, running two to three miles on the grass field.
“The day before it was a lot drier so honestly if we had raced that day, I think the times would have been better,” Paseiro said.
Afterwards, they set off to check into their hotel and unpack their belongings; by that time, everyone was tired and in the mood for a good meal. The athletes were no strangers to team dinners, meaning that dinner time was a key moment in the trip.
“…We try to get together before every night [before a meet]…to…strengthen our community by eating together…I feel like by…doing a lot of these activities together we grow closer and more comfortable with each other,” Katelyn Guske, a sophomore, said.
After the dinner at P. F. Chang’s concluded, it was time to settle back in the hotel for a logbook session. Logbook sessions are a key component of cross country where topics such as teamwork, individual improvement, and keys to success are discussed. Additionally, athletes had time to put thought into their goals going into the race.
“I feel like the last two races I’ve kind of not been pushing myself at the start more so I’m trying to pass more people. [My] goal going in is to speed up as I go instead of slowing down,” Guske said.
The next day, the team woke up before sunrise and arrived at the course for the actual meet, the first race was set to begin at 7:30. Hosted on the Dugan Track and Soccer Fields, the meet included Varsity, Junior Varsity and a special Gold division created to push runners out of their comfort zone.
“The course [was] really bad [the day of the race] the grass was so muddy because it rained the night before and it was so unstable and my ankles kept getting twisted,” Pasiero said.
Many of the runners struggled due to the course and residual injuries, but with their teammates cheering them on, they were able to finish. When the races concluded, the team had only one last activity to cross off their list: the beach. Everyone had a few hours under the sun to feel the warm waters, collect seashells and play spikeball.
“The beach really helped me disconnect from my bad race,” Paseiro said. “We played in the waters, took pictures, and had a lot of fun.”
The Islander Splash was an eye-opening experience for all the athletes, as they were able to face the ups and downs of an overnight meet. Racers were able to create new goals for themselves and as a team, overall, it helped the cross country grow even closer together.
