TUESDAY – On October 15th, the SASPD Cross Country varsity team participated in SISAC, a local cross-country competition for international schools. Attending schools included SASPX, Concordia, YCIS, SMIC, and several schools from Hangzhou and Suzhou.
The SASPD team departed from school halfway through last period and headed towards Binjiang Park. With 20 participants from SAS in total, Physical Education teachers and cross-country coaches Charlotte Amelot and Michel Xhauflair supervised the students. In the end, the girls team came in second place, and the boys team came in third place.
The race was a 5 kilometer run on uneven terrain: over steep hills, gradual downslopes, and canals. Parts of the course consisted of proper roads, while other parts were on fields of grass. Branches were scattered throughout the course, adding more difficulty to the competition.
For the freshmen and other new recruits to the team, SISAC was one of their first races and a new experience. They are not accustomed to these competitions and many have never participated in any cross-country events beforehand. SISAC gave them exposure and preparation for larger events such as the upcoming APAC competition.
Claire Wu, a freshman, said, “I was really nervous because it was my first race, but it turned out to be a pretty nice experience.” In addition, Wu commented on how the competition has helped her. “I got to see many fast runners, and it motivated me to keep practicing to improve.”
The participants were required to run around the park on a planned and structured course. Jayden Beal, freshman, thought it was well-organized. “I liked how clearly marked the course was. It’s less common than you’d think.”
On the other hand, Nicholas Ngow, freshman, holds different opinions about the course. “The people that direct us were just looking at their phones and leaving their posts. There were people running off course and taking shortcuts because people left their posts.” He also added that the route was confusing and was like “a maze in a forest.”
Andy Sofia, sophomore, mentioned the mentality he had during the run. “It’s really tough, honestly. Before the run, you regret signing up for cross-country. Then you start the first km feeling confident, but start to feel pain and discomfort in the 2k. At 3k you want to give up, and the rest is you just dying.”
Despite the intensity throughout the competition, Sofia agreed that there was a very supportive environment. “You pass someone from another school, and they send you words of encouragement. Someone passes me in the run, and sometimes I will hear ‘you got this.’”