As many of you know, a person we formally respected as our coach has made girls cross country a cut sport. This person claimed that he would cut people who didn't work hard, and that it wasn't completely based on speed. When cross country "tryouts" came around the girls who weren't necessarily the fastest found themselves in trouble. Many of these girls thought that if they tried their hardest and ran as fast as they could that they would make the team. This person told the girls that they had a specific time to make in order to be welcomed on the team. These times were unrealistic for most of them but they still tried their hardest. After the girls didn't make their times the first go around they were told that they had another chance the next week to make their times. Most of them knew that their times were impossible to make, like having to drop 2-5 minutes in less than a week. These girls still came to the remaining practices/tryouts and re-ran their time trials. After all, they were told that he wanted dedicated and hardworking runners no matter how fast they were. After they finished running, the girls who did not make their times were told that they weren't extraordinary enough as people to make up for their average running.

Girls cross country used to be a place where anyone could feel welcome. For many current and former runners, it was the first time that they felt like they truly belonged. Now those same girls feel as though this cross country family/legacy has been destroyed. Hopefully it will not be ruined forever, but if no one takes any sort of action against this, cross country will never be the same again.