SPORT
Getting back what you put in:
guts and glory in cross country
We say it every year, distance running is
a tough sport. A cross country runner has
nowhere to hide on race day. Their efforts, be
they good or bad, are there for everyone to
see and while this is a team sport, each boy’s
attitude and effort is a direct reflection of the
work that they put in at training and that
measure of intestinal fortitude we call ‘guts’.
The boys have shown considerable strength
of character to endure what the coaches,
Ray Boyd and Old Boy and past captain,
Jackson Passeri (St 07-13), have put them
through this year; more importantly, they
have experienced first-hand, a sport that
demonstrates clearly the reality of what you
put in, is what you get back.
Like the rowing program, the dream of
winning involves time and persistence,
however, this is something that is slowly
moving towards being realised each year
despite what the final score board indicates.
Already, this season, the squad has outdone
all of their previous bests while competing
against the other PSA schools.
The PSA Cross Country season has started
with a bang and, as with each season over
the last five years, the boys can again all
be very proud of the work that they have
done heading into round 5 and 6 of the
competition.
In the first races of the season a number
of our runners have continually featured
in the top ten during the home and
away component of the competition and
there is a degree of excitement about
the improvements that Ben Armstrong
(12Fr), Declan White (12SG), Cameron
42
Adams (11He) and Marcel Niutta (12Be)
have shown so far. Further to this, the
squad has gained some valuable additions
to the team in terms of top end quality
and overall depth. Bailey Gillam (11Ha)
has demonstrated considerable talent at
endurance sports and the determination
that he displayed during the rowing season,
a sport that is extremely complementary
of this discipline, has transferred easily
to the cross country program. He creates
a dominant presence on the start line
alongside Declan White (Captain) and
Marcel Niutta (Vice), which has earned him
the tag of BFG (big friendly giant!) from
some of the Year 7 and 8 boys in the squad,
such is his domineering height.
In has been fantastic to see a larger group
of young runners selecting the sport over
some of the more popular team games in
the last few years, and the addition of Jake
Manolini (7He), Heath Collins (7St), Rory
Adams (7He) and Aiden McLaughlin
(10He) are all very exciting prospects, in
terms of future potential, if they decide to
stay with the squad, while Dylan Foppa
(12He), Liam Stacey (11SG), Cameron
Adams (11He) and Nick Rollo (11Wb),
to name but a few of the squad, have all
picked up where they left off. This being
said, possibly one of the greatest aspects of
the cross country program, is the fact that
every runner competes against themselves
in the pursuit of bettering their time each
week, and moving up the ranking list over
the Guildford home course. This ranking list
includes every athlete who has covered this
course since it was established by longtime
coach, Darryl White, when the squad, now
in its 40s was only a team of 8 during its
earlier days.
Throughout the 2015 PSA Winter
Competition the squad, aside from
competing for the P M Moyes Cup, also
contests a number of Guildford Grammar
Cross Country Awards, these include:
• Final top 10 ranking for GGS Cross
Country Runners involving the
culmination of their five best home and
away places and the total of their places
in the four All-School competitors.
• Douglas Barrett-Lennard Trophy –
Senior Champion
• M W O’Malley Trophy –
Junior Champion
• H Whiteman Trophy –
Short course 5km Cross Country
Champion
• E J Warren Trophy – Long course 8km
Cross Country Champion
• Fastest GGS leg 5 man 3km Relay
• Fastest GGS leg 3 man 5km Relay
The fastest athlete over the Guildford course
has been Ben O’Connor from Aquinas in
a time of 17 minutes 26 seconds (2013).
The fastest Guildford runner ranked 6th
has been Mason Zappavigna (Fr 07-11) at
18min 13 sec with Jackson Passeri (St 0713) at 18min 18sec ranked 8th.
Mr Ray Boyd
Cross Country Head Coach