by Tony Gomez

McGlashan Cross Country 2018

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It’s Cross Country time again, depending on your perception; Cross Country conjures up many different feelings.

Let’s not go there; harden up and get on with it. If we are a school that is serious about resilience, here is a great opportunity to face something that may be out of your comfort zone and conquer it. Or your name is Josh Hou and you love the cross country, love the course and appreciate the whole experience.

The day dawned fine, ok a little cool, well jolly cold but sunny. The course was set with help from Downers who were still working on the Ross Creek dam. They allowed us access, which meant we could arrange a challenging and varied course.

This year the seven and eights started first. After a lap around the field, they headed off into Ross Creek. When they emerged from the zig zag, it was Akira Itadani who crossed the finish line first followed by Thomas Mason, Harry Summers and Nick Casey. Oliver Hamilton was the first year boys home followed by Lucas Townend.

The year seven and eights boys were only halfway through their race when the Novices and Juniors were sent off. Their course ran through some brilliant bush tracks and included a stretch beside the Ross Creek reservoir before completing the dreaded zig zag. The Novices race was closely contested, and Matheson Colquhoun came from behind to beat Jack Hazlett by 10 or 15 meters from Alban Gosse. The Junior race was a fait accompli with Josh Hou clearly first, but Grayson Westgate can be very satisfied with his second place behind Josh, and Archie Dunn was third.

There are always some interesting names that come to the for in the older boys race. They did 5.3km on an undulating course that took them high above the Ross Creek Reservoir before a downhill section that leads them to the zig zag. Ruaidhri Brosnan was first, with Ben Mitchell and Will Turner home next, but then the first intermediate came and another intermediate with Will Morshuis.

The event was all over in two hours. The course will change again next year as the Ross Creek development will be completed and Johnnie's boys will have the run of all the tracks. We have a wonderful resource right at our doorstep, which we should enjoy. Contrary to popular comment most boys seem to enjoy the cross country.