Region Championship Poems

So I give the CC team motivational reading for the van trips to meets (some of them I've posted here). Traditionally, the Region Championship Meet is a poem. Yes, I, the scientist, also write poetry (thank you liberal arts education). To give some background information, I am first including last year's poem. Last year was our first year to find success as a team. Starting this CC program 4 years ago, I had had individuals qualify for State at Region, but never a whole team. Last year was our first year to be good enough to. Last year was also marked as the first year I had such hard workers: They stepped it up in training and I stepped it up in coaching (and it obviously worked). Here was their motivation:

Ready

Today, a team approaches a race
In their heads they imagine that suicide pace
The pain will come and they must run through it
And they’re questioning themselves: Can I do it:

“today we cannot suffer defeat”
“i wish this was practice, i really hate meets”
“running that hard, it might make me sick”
“will i finally feel an endorphin kick”
“am i going to be able to stay with that guy”
“what if at mile 2, i’m just ready to die”
“this is too intense, it was supposed to be fun”
“why was it again, that i wanted to run?”

Their minds are flooded with thoughts so heavy
As they ride this van trying to get ready
But as time goes on they start to steady
And the thinking shifts, yes we really are ready:

“remember those days coach had 20 demands”
“2 minute half miles, calf raises, handstands”
“bleachers, situps, 1-legged wall sits that kill”
“push-ups, throwdowns, and running the hill”
“recall all those tuck jumps, squat thrusts, power crunches”
“leg lifts, supermans, high-knees, and lunges”
“remember running 8 miles in an hour”
“no way the opponents can match our power!”

A calm comes over them, resolve in their hearts
Now they just can’t wait for the race to start
Confident and proud, they approach the line
The thoughts of a team, a unified mind:

“we run fast, we run far, we run into the wind”
“we’ve conquered the workouts that would do you in”
“we’ve stretched farther than bodies and minds should bend”
“through it all, we’ve endured, and we’ve become men”
“yeah we’ve been there, done that, now we’re ready to go”
“see us, fear us, because soon you will know:”
“for the last several months, we’ve been put to the test”
“and today we will prove that we are the best!”

I look back on that poem now and remember the themes that stood out that year: yes they did all those things. We had many conversations about "becoming men." Those quotes in the first quoted stanza were actually quotes I heard on the van on a regular basis. Funny how different 2 back to back seasons can be. Last year we ended up being Region Runner Up. This was school history: the first time a CC whole team qualified for state, the first TSSAA CC Plaque our school recieved! But we didn't get first: we got runner-up.

This year, we are even better! In fact, we've beat all our Region opponents in every meet! Our Region Championship, our school's first, is pretty much on lock. This year was marked by some crazyness and alot of sillyness but the kids have worked even harder than last year's bunch. The following poem is their motivation for Tuesday's Region Meet, and like last year's poem it also fits the feel of the season.

A Season’s Work

A season’s work of both athlete and coach,
Is coming closer to its completion.
So now as the Region meet we approach,
I can’t help but enter reflection.

Every team, every year has a flavor unique,
And ya’ll definitely stand out in your spot.
From the way you run to the way you speak,
Everything is over the top!

No other season can match this insanity:
Not just the flipping, singing, and shaving of legs.
You guys went crazy with all that profanity,
And exceeded your quota of “that’s what she said”s.

But this coach can simply let all of that be,
When I have a team of hard workers like you.
Running to the point of blood in the pee:
What more could I expect you to do!

I’ve never had runners running this fast or so far,
Never had so many wanting to do extra.
You’ve set a new standard, you’ve raised the bar.
You’ve brought to Crockett a new running era!

Now in this new era we head to a meet
To take on opponents we’ve already beaten.
We come into this thing already elite,
So what’s the big deal about Region?

Well one year ago, we placed runner-up,
And that plaque still stands our accuser.
Yes it was a victory, even school history… but
In our hearts we knew 2nd is just 1st loser.

So three months ago we set to our goal:
Deeper in training we immersed.
And by the Dresden meet, we had taken control.
This year, no doubt, we’ll be first!

No, this Region is not the Region prior:
It’s domination on exhibition.
Today, our championship is what we acquire
Our season comes to its Epic fruition!

Expect another blog post in a few days confirming our Region Championship!