We, the undersigned, formally petition against the split of the Smithtown Boys and Girls Cross Country Teams between the East and West Campuses. We believe a successful cross country team requires a large roster, which gives it the ability to compete and develop runners for future years. It will create two teams per gender that are half the size of the originals, costing the district additional expenses for coaches, buses, entry fees for meets, and uniforms. Additionally, rosters that combine the two schools establish a sense of community that many other sports fail to create or greatly strain. Finally, we feel that we will lose much of the talent that we once had in the sport. Along with many kids refusing to run with two different teams, we will lose the push and motivation that we once gained from having so many different athletes at different skill levels pushing everyone to strive for his or her own best.

We respectfully request that this decision is reversed and the Smithtown Boys and Girls Cross Country Teams each remain a single unit comprised of athletes from both High School East and High School West.

Thank you.