The perfect team, according to sports writers, is one that can overcome all obstacles in order to succeed. Sometimes a team is bombarded with too many obstacles which was the case with the Raider cross country squads.

The odds were against the girls' and boys' squads from the first practice, when only four girls and one boy showed up to participate. This combined with oppressive heat spelled defeat for the teams.

"The heat early in the season definitely kept us from getting the quality practices we needed in order to be competitive," said Coach Eric Buetzer.

Knowing that both the boys and the girls would not be able to compete as a team, the runners' goals were simply to just show personal improvement throughout the season.

"The high point of the season for me was cutting my time down by about four minutes said Michelle Abbott, jr.

While both teams were not able to bring back medals as in past years, the runners all finished the season strongly. Recruiting will be an important factor if the cross country teams are to enjoy success next year. - Chad

Eric finishes a race.

Cross Country Main Page