GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY
By Tim Falls, Sports Editor
According to Lawrence coach Tim Collins, high school girls cross country is a contact sport.
The Cardinals are not out on the course tackling their opponents, their contact is with the course itself. Distance running is a strenuous activity and puts a lot of pressure on an athletes legs.
”I tell people that distance running is a contact sport,” said Collins in an e-mail. “It’s contact with the ground.”
Collins described how the pounding of just training for races all season and the races themselves took a toll on his runners. Lawrence’s season came to an end as several Cardinal runners competed at the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III sectional race at Thompson Park on Saturday.
”Injuries toward the end of the season stopped us from racing as well as we would have liked,” said Collins. “Because of the inexperience of our team, the girls’ legs were not used to the pounding that distance running puts on your legs.”
Lawrence fielded a full team this season for the first time in several years and racked up four wins in the Colonial Valley Conference meets. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, injuries at the end of the season kept them from scoring as a team in the sectional race.
”Your legs absore two to three times your body weight every single step,” said Collins. “When you’re running four of five miles, that’s a lot of force on the joints, tendons, bones and muscles.”
After dwindling numbers kept the Cardinals from competing as an official girls team in previous years, Lawrence’s program has started to grow once more and since the team does not graduate any seniors this season, Collins is expecting a larger, more experienced squad next season.
”We tried to be as careful as we could this season,” said Collins, “with lots of cross training, biking and swimming, but we were a little young this year and unused to the pounding. As our legs and bodies adapt to the wear and tear, our legs and our bodies will become stronger and less prone to injury.”
Lawrence’s most experience runner led the girls team in its last two races. Sophomore Natalie Falk finished 50th at the sectional race in 22:46 after placing 51st as Lawrence’s first runner at the Mercer County Championships.
Freshman Andrew Tunnard, who led the team as the Cardinals’ top runner through most of the season, was unable to run in the sectional race. Tunnard competed in the county meet, but was slowed by severe shin splints. Likewise, sophomore Alice Shen was unable to compete at sectionals.
”It finally became too much,” said Collins. “Rather than risk serious injury, we opted not to race them. We decided after we had warmed up and talked about how each girl felt. Although both girls wanted to race desperately, it was not in their, or the team’s, best interest to compete.”
Despite problems with her foot Lawrence junior Laura Brehm opted to run and finished 58th in 23:33.
”Laura Brehm was unsure whether or not her foot would allow her to race,” said Collins, “but after doing some hard sprints before the race to its it out, she decided to race and competed very well.”
Lawrence junior Nicole Kelliher finished 64th in 25:08 after missing several races due to injury earlier in the season.
While Lawrence did not compete in the team scoring, having four runners race in the Central Jersey Group III sectional was still a strong sign for the Cardinals, which did not have any runners compete in the meet last season.
Lawrence, which went 0-24 over the past two seasons, finished 4-8 this season and coach Collins expects even better results next season.
”I am very proud of the effort put forth by the girls this year,” said Collins. “I know they worked hard and yet enjoyed themselves immensely. These girls are part of the movement to bring back Lawrence girls distance running to its former glory.”