Moors Bolster One Another Towards Upcoming Season
The cross country team intense training in preparation for their invitational on Sept. 6.
MOOR photo by YIBEI LIU
WILL RODRIGUEZ
Staff Writer
After ending the last season with the varsity girls placing third at the Almont League Finals and qualifying for the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) preliminaries, the Alhambra cross country team is preparing for their upcoming season. The Moors are seeking to improve from last season to bring better results this year.
“Last season, [the team] was all over the place,” senior David Hernandez said. “The biggest thing that held us back last season was attendance and if attendance improves this year, we could be stronger.”
Upon entering the new season, the Moors are bringing the experience garnered from the previous one. Last year, the varsity girls moved on to the CIF preliminaries where they were eliminated. The varsity boys placed fourth, missing qualification requirements by two points. In the cross country point system, points refer to the place in which the top five runners of each team score. The team with the least accumulated points wins.
“Last season was tough. It was full of mental issues such as [having a negative mindset] with the runners, which affected the whole team,” Head Coach Sandra Rodriguez said. “This year they’re so much stronger and I believe the boys will make it [to CIF prelims] this year.”
With a new season coming up, the Moors have been training to achieve any goals they have set or will set as the season progresses. The cross country team trained throughout the summer and the start of the new school year three to four times a week in order to build both physical and mental strength in preparation for the season.
“A strong mentality is definitely important [in this sport] and that’s what our team lacked last season,” sophomore Kelly Huang said.
Their regular training schedule includes stretches, drills, core exercises and long distance runs or intervals depending on what is planned for the day. This time put into training will eventually be showcased when the new season begins.
With the first meet of the season coming soon, the Moors will be able to display what they have been training for all summer and school year. The first meet of the season took place at the Running Brave Invitational in Irwindale. Their next race will take place at the Rosemead Invitational.
“With the team’s strong mentality, this is my year to take both [varsity teams to CIF prelims],” Rodriguez said.