At the crack of dawn, Tropical Park became visible as it began to be filled by cross country teams from Miami and Broward. Runners had to wake up earlier than usual, setting their alarms to make it to the park on time. The Coral Gables Senior High School cross-country team was one of the many early birds present on Nov. 7 preparing to secure their ticket towards the championship.
After advancing past their Districts race Gables Cross-Country set out to compete in Region 4A for one of the eight qualification spots open for the 4A States Championships. With the boys and girls teams requiring of a maximum seven runners, each runner for Gables became even more essential.
Regionals races commenced at 7:30 a.m. for the girls and 8:15 a.m. for the boys, so participants made sure to wake up early in order to prepare for the run that lay ahead. Gables athletes were dropped off separately at Tropical Park to meet up with their team at 6:15 a.m. to ensure time for settling in and warming up.
Varsity girls finished socializing at 6:45 a.m., as they had to prepare for the race ahead of them. After completing their traditional warm-up and dynamic stretches, the girls headed out to secure an optimal position to start the race. Performing a team huddle to motivate each other, the varsity girls were off in a hurry as the race began without hesitation.
“Before we begin the race it is usually [junior Yara Korse] leading the motivational talk. She is the voice of our team giving us pep talks but everyone puts in a few words to make us more confident about the race. That race for me helped me to achieve one of many goals of making states with my teammates and the effort that we put into practice payed off,” sophomore Gabriela Mendez said.
Flying through the course, the girls faced heavier competition but were able to maintain their speed all the way through. A thrilling race proved to be a promising day for the girls, with multiple personal records being shattered. In particular, junior Avril Donner would break the school record yet again with a time of 19:27, while other personal records included junior Yara Korse with a time of 20:57 and junior Sharon Contreras with a time of 20:59.
Preparing for the race during the girls’ run, Gables varsity boys looked to improve as a team. Reaching the starting point early, many emotions dancing around, as this race determined if numerous seniors were able to experience going to the States Championship one last time.
“As a team we have some traditions when we reach the starting line. [Senior Andres Rodriguez] leads us through a team prayer before the race as I try take a few deep breaths to lower my heart hate. The race meant a lot especially to seniors and our leaders [seniors Reese Durant and Rodriguez] let us know that we were running as a team and for each other, pushing me that race,” junior Jason Norona said.
Understanding their personal and team goals, boys varsity runners started their race off in a flash. Maintaining a good pace, Gables runners focused on staying in the race while not wearing themselves out. Once they reached the second mile, the team knew they had to give it there all passing as many people as possible. In an electrifying race, Gables was able to achieve five runners under 18 minutes, led by Jason Norona with a time of 16:51.
“[Seniors Durant and Rodriguez] lead the pre-race talk which helped me focus on the priorities, fixing my mindset before the race. The race was a showcase of what I can do to give me a goal towards states but the overall goal was to first qualify to states to then perform better,” junior Luis Rodriguez said.
Following the races, the results were immediately released as Gables erupted in cheers. With the girls securing third place and the boys attaining fourth place, Gables’ cross country earned their ticket to Tallahassee for states on Nov. 17. A third consecutive states appearance for the team has runners elated for the journey they have gone through.
“The race meant a lot to the team. We were predicted to place fourth in regionals but every girl pushed their hardest and we proved [the predictions] wrong getting third place. I was able to beat my personal record that race getting a 21:16 which brought me close to my goal off under 20 minutes at states. Regionals showed us how strong we were together as a team and it helped me believe in myself more,” junior Lauren Puig said.
The team was excused from school for the rest of the day with a feeling of accomplishment after a well performed race. Many teammates celebrated their qualification by going to Shake Shack after the meet. Understanding that their goals were not fully accomplished until their meet at states, the team finds time to prepare themselves for their season finale.
