It may seem like to some that Spring Track just ended. In some respects, with the Olympics, it still hasn't. But cross-country season is right upon us, and that means the national spotlight turns back to New York. In a state where the girls teams have routinely dominated the National Championships, and with boys not doing too shabby either, it can be argued that New York is the best state in the nation for the sport of XC. This year, MileSplit is dedicated to highlight those key performances. For the first time, MileSplit National will be producing our own internal National Rankings for both team and individuals, to be released the week of August 20th for the preseason. In the meantime, we'll be handling all the action here in New York. Early next week, we'll be releasing our intensive boys season preview, where we break down all the big names and big matchups. But just to whet your appetite, we took a trip upstate, to meet with one of the Top 5 boys teams in the state.
LaGrange NY - Section 1 provides what some may call an accurate cross-section of the state at large. Comprised of three counties, each represents a different aspect of the Empire State: Westchester County being home to the suburbs and cities of teams like Mt. Vernon and Harrison, Rockland County representing the mountainous terrain of Bear Mountain Range home to Pearl River and North Rockland. That leaves the Northern County, which typifies the splendor of New York's Upstate regions, sprinkled with rolling hills and farmland. We took a trip to the Northern Counties, to the home of Coach Steve Arnett. Pulling up to the house, we can see the driveway filled with the cars of cross country runners, filing inside to the start of practice for Arlington High School.
MileSplit NY: Greetings, Coach. This is quite a unique practice you have going on here.
Coach Arnett: We've been doing these for a long time now. I invite the team over my house every Wednesday. They go out for a run, hop in our neighborhood lake for a bit, then they can come back here where we've cooked a nice ziti dinner for them. They're allowed to hang out for a little bit, then we kick them right out. It promotes a great sense of team bonding between the kids, and allows them to function as a team.
MNY: I can tell the kids really enjoy it. The surrounding area out here is perfect for cross country training. Is this the only place they run?
CA: Well, we tend to vary it up a bit. On Monday's, we meet in a nearby town, where they'll be running on dirt. Wednesday's are a long run, where they take to the roads around here. And Friday's we relegate to speed work, repeats and such. It provides a nice balance of terrain for the kids to get used to.
MNY: I noticed the course out there was pretty smooth, with fresh paved roads in secluded areas.
CA: Be careful when you're running it, the hills can be deceptively challenging. We've had coaches before that thought similar, but it only took one jog out there to change their mind. It's great for the kids though to be exposed to it. There is one hill in particular that everyone knows. It's called Haight Hill, pronounced 'Hate Hill', and it certainly tries to live up to it's name.
MNY: Now what kind of turnout are you getting these days?
CA: We usually are in the average range for a Class A school. Our girls team brings a good number. We have two girls runners who in the next few years, you should be hearing about. One of them is (Bella) Burda, she's looking good. On the boys side, we had a minor bug going around, but we look in the clear now. One thing I learned, even when I was still a younger coach, was to never worrying about making up a practice. If an athlete misses a workout, you let him know that he missed it and it his problem. I never ask them to make it up, I keep him with the team, and have him look forward to the next one.
MNY: You bring back a very strong team this year, how are they looking this summer?
CA: I think we're on the right track now. We've got a great group of guys out here. I think where we succeed is in our depth of talent. We lost about two big times to graduation, but we bring back a solid group of scorers for us. We are almost better because our speed goes back so far. We have kids out there like Chris (Koenitzer) who is a half miler, but he is pushing himself everyday in practice, and looks great. Sibby (Hanson) looks strong and is ready to improve his times from last year, which proves a great 1-2-3 punch with his other seniors. We were lucky to have 2 full relay squads of talented distance runners last season, and we only graduated two, so now with joint improvement, we are ready. I'm also going to say that you should keep an eye out for (Tom) Wimmers, he's our dark horse on the team. I can tell things are going well for him in practice.
MNY: With such a talented team, some people have been ranking you highly in the state and even in the nation for the preseason. What does that do to you as a team?
CA: I think those type of things are important in that you need to be at least in the conversation. If you are on that list, no matter what number, you know you are doing something right. At the same time, the order doens't concern me. We are going to run as hard as we can, no matter what the rankings say.
MNY: Coach, thank you for your time, it was really cool to see this kind of practice and team bond that's been cultivated up here.
Coach Arnett and his wife, who he refers to as simply "Arnett," hand prepare the team dinners every week, and invite the some 60 kids into their house to bond. Joint with the team "mascot," the family dog, the team shares a weekly ritual of good food after good running.
Like most teams, Captains are selected by a voting process. We happened to arrive on the day the results had been tallied. As voted, the position would be split three ways, between Sebastion Hanson, Aaron Ryley, and Corey Chiavelli. We sat down with all three to talk about the upcoming season.
MileSplit NY: First off, congrats on the nominations tonight. Now, you guys were all on the very successful relays last spring, how do you feel that track speed will translate over to XC?
SH: It gave us a strict definition of hard work, and what we need to make it through the season. Results are based on hard work, and we know what it requires. We can also use that speed to better tackle the down hills, which plays to our advantage.
MNY: Now talk about being named a captain tonight, what does it mean to you?
AR: It really is a big honor for me. I've always considered myself a good leader, but to know my team has that faith in me as well is a big compliment.
MNY: Corey, this year you are all seniors, talk about how that factors into your season.
CC: Well, now I know what to expect this season, and I have higher expectations for myself. I know how to run big races under pressure. I want to be a leader on the team, to let kids know to step up, do their job, and take us as far as we can go.
MNY: Now, what are your big race goals for this year? Do you have any big invites that serve as a benchmark for the season?
SH: We are going to McQuaid for first time in awhile this year. It is probably the biggest meet upstate that tends to bring around some of the best talent. It allows us to size up where we are in the state, and then refocus if we need too.
MNY: Now, talk about some of the rankings that have come out. Does the high ranking add any pressure to you as athletes?
CC: I don't think there is any added pressure to us. We are going to still work hard anyway, because ultimately, its where we finish that is important to us.
MNY: Now talk about training on these hills, how do you feel that is preparing you for the normally hilly terrain of our xc courses.
SH: I think it really prepares us for Bowdoin, where most of our big meets are. Running on the hills helps you get used to it, to the point we don't even think about it anymore
MNY: Talk about some of the prospects of your teammates out there. We here a lot about how many guys you have in striking distance.
CC: Our team is shaping up with some big depth this season. As the summer goes on, we are seeing more and more people coming to the front of the pack, especially on our runs together. They keep on having break out runs, and it shows in their confidence to keep up with our top guys. While our top 5 is pretty set, I expect our roster to be pretty fluid in the season, as some big races from the JV team could find them running varsity.
MNY: Now, what do you all do in your off time? Do you spend time together?
CC: We like to throw the Frisbee around, sometimes toss around a hockey puck. We stick to things like hanging out to watch movie, standard teenager stuff. We always make sure to have pasta dinners before our big races, so its one thing we do together.
MNY: Well, thank you for your time, and I look forward to seeing you run in the upcoming season.
The full boys NYS Preview will be out early next week, but you can check out the girls preview here. Also, be sure to like us on facebook, and follow us on twitter this season, as will get you the updates you want the fastest way possible.