Birchfield School Cross Country Competition

Friday 4^th March 2011

When the eleven Year 4 pupils last Friday afternoon arrived at Birchfield School, near Wolverhampton, for their Under Nine’s Cross Country Championship, it was like watching a minibus of eager, excitable puppies out for their first walk as they tumbled out of the school minibus.

 Well behaved-most definitely, excitable- very. They were bubbly, eager and like quicksilver as they asked a thousand and one questions all within the 50 metre walk from the car park to the sports ground –  mostly concerning where were the toilets, could they eat their snacks, where does the course go, how long is it, do you think we will do well, will I get lost…

With the welcome assistance of a couple of our parents, who braved the Friday afternoon rush hour traffic of the M6, the majority of the children’s questions were answered and soon they were ready to start.  First, there was the formal welcome, the race courses for each age range were clearly explained and the U 13 and U 11 races were going to be before the U9 girls’ race, our first competition. This gave the chance for our children to warm up and watch the other races.

The majority of the runners in both the boy’s and girls’ teams regularly come to the Pre School and After School cross country club. Such is the strength of depth of running talent in Years 3 and 4 there is actual competition for places in the teams, and nicely, no definite clear favourite – as each competition throws up different results, depending on the course’s distance, flatness and muddiness – each runner having a particular strength, some preferring short races with fast finishes and others long undulating courses which require stamina and a steady pace.  In these training sessions they concentrated in the autumn term on slow steady runs, getting a fitness base for the cross country season this term.  Part of the drills on these runs were ‘leap frog’ where the children run as a four in a line comfortably with the last runner moving to the front every so often to inject a faster pace. This term the training sessions have been much harder – the team have been doing ‘hill sessions’ (sprinting up the playing field’s hill for 100metres and walking down to recover); ‘triangle relay’(whereby they engage on a series of 300 metre fast running, followed by a short rest around a triangle shaped course); and ‘split negatives’, around the all weather (800 metres at an ever increasing pace so that the last 200 metres is as fast as they can maintain).  Also a major part of these training sessions has been learning the warm up drills with each child responsible for leading the group for a series of exercises.

Watching our two teams ‘warm up’ was like watching this pack of excitable puppies transform into a well drilled husky sled team. First of all, they did it on their own. The boys went across to a nearby rugby pitch and the girls went across to the other end. Secondly, in their bright red Hallfield hoodies and water proof tops the two groups were the envy of all the other schools as they went through their drills. They looked good, they looked as if they knew what they were doing, they looked professional and they were becoming focussed.

Near the start line the girls got ready by taking off their hoodies and tracksuit bottoms, the team would be running in the Hallfield’s thermal top and shorts. The boy’s team disappeared over the slight rise with a couple of our parents to position their support on the course’s long uphill section, two thirds around the course, just before a dogleg turn behind a hedge before a short downhill section for the finish.

The six girls of our team were nervous – with butterflies in their tummies they claimed the inside position of the starting line alongside the other 24 runners. They knew at their last event they had gone off too slowly – afraid of getting lost on a windy course – this time their instructions were to be in the top third of the pack by the first turn, use their ‘leap frog’ training to move forward up the hill section and have confidence in their ‘split negatives’ training to really push hard for the finish.

At the start 30 girls sprinted away down the hill towards the first corner. As they disappeared around the first turn it was clear that they were running well, a group of four, Lola Simpson, Sienna Williams, Rhea Takha and Millie Shaylor were about halfway down the field with Libby Shepherd slightly in front of the Hallfield group. At this stage Martha Edge was working hard to catch up with the Hallfield pack having been jostled out of position a little at the start. As they twisted around the edge of Birchfield’s sports fields down to the the lowest point of the course halfway round we could see that Martha had caught up with our group and that Libby had made a very brave statement of confidence having broken away from the whole field leading by about 10 metres at this stage. Libby charged up the long hill section clear favourite by now, building her lead with every stride. But being in the lead proved to be her down fall as she missed the dogleg turn behind the hedge and had to turn around and rejoin the field in about sixth place. Meanwhile, our main pack, vocally supported by the boys on the course, were using their training experience to ‘leap frog’ up the slope. By the top Sienna was positioned tenth with the Rhea and Martha just behind as they disappeared behind the hedge, with Lola and Millie running hard just off this quickening pace.

As the runners broke back into view from behind the hedge for the last 100 metres to the finish all spectators and supporters alike were aghast  too see that Libby, somehow in that 200 metres behind the hedge, had managed to regain the lead. With a bigger girl on her shoulder, and not renowned for a sprint finish, Libby tried so hard to maintain her lead but ten metres from the line drifted off from the side allowing the bigger girl to dip in front of her by claiming the inside line just on the finishing tape. Meanwhile, Martha had reappeared from behind the hedge, now in 7^th position, having overtaken the group in front of her  behind the hedge and so she led the Hallfield charge home; Martha 7^th, Sienna 8^th, Rhea 9^th, Millie 13^th, and Lola a well deserved 18^th.  With some ‘simple’ maths Eashan Soma calculated that our first four runners’ score was 26.

With little time to talk to the girls the boys were getting ready at the start line. The girls, recovering quickly disappeared over to the hill to shout support on the hill section, with Libby and Millie positioning themselves at the dogleg by the hedge so the boys didn’t make a similar mistake. There is real competition between our two front runners Andrew Fergusson and Oliver Hudson, neither likes losing to each other and training sessions, especially the ‘split negatives’ around the school’s all weather, are very gladiator like as neither ever yields.

Following the same instructions as the girls for the start, the boys charged down the hill for the first corner, Andrew running hard with Oliver just behind.  However, Eashan Soma and Hector Meering were slightly off the pace being pushed around as 35 boys funnelled around the constriction of the first turn, the slight figure of Josh Hale, our Year 3 runner, lost at that stage in the crowd. As we regained view of the runners down in the bottom corner we could see that Andrew, with his distinctive running style was about seventh with Oliver a couple of places behind. By now it was possible to identify Josh, running slightly ahead of Hector and Eashan who were running steadily together half way down the field.

As the boys hit the bottom of the hill section they started to move steadily up through the field of runners. On the hill, vocally supported and encouraged by the girls, Oliver moved up to fifth position with Andrew, struggling slightly, still in seventh position as they rounded the dogleg behind the hedge. Meanwhile Josh had moved up the field and rounded the corner behind the hedge in 13^th position with two older runners just in front. Hector, who had a small group of runners between himself and Josh, found a second wind on the hill and broke away from Eashan and with active encouragement from the girls started his final surge early as he went behind the hedge. By this time the front runners were merging with only 100 metres to go.

Oliver came round the final corner in 4^th place with Andrew, who must have worked so hard to get there, almost on his shoulder, a runner a metre or two in front of them both. Oliver changed his running style, shortening and quickening his stride pattern, flew down the finishing slope overtaking the runner in front of him and coming in a clear 3^rd. Andrew trying his hardest couldn’t find anything left and although he maintained his 5^th position comfortably couldn’t get past the runner in front much to his annoyance. By now the main group of runners had reappeared, Josh dead on his feet by this stage was trying hard to keep up with the two older runners in front of him and although he didn’t lose any ground in the final sprint  couldn’t change his overall position and came in 13^th. Meanwhile, behind the hedge, Hector must have worked very hard, overtaking a runner as they re-emerged for the final sprint. He came 14^th, the next runner behind Josh, with Eashan overall a very creditable 18^th.

Job over, and refuelled with hot dogs and biscuits, my elite Husky team reverted to excitable puppies as they waited for the results.  The boys’ race was announced first with Oliver collecting his 3^rd position medal and then everyone quietened down for the team results…  second place was announced – Hallfield with 35 points just 2 points behind the overall winners, the equivalent of passing one more person…  Both the teams cheered pleased to have performed so well. Then with big cheers from everyone, as much a reward for her sportswoman ship as well as recognition of a very fine runner,  Libby collected her overall 2^nd place medal and was awarded the same time as the winner. T hen the team shield competition was announced –  Prestfelde School 2^nd with 32 points… the girls didn’t realise what this meant. Eashan who had calculated their results did – he cheered and then the puppies exploded with pride and joined in as Hallfield’s Under 9 Girls team were announced the overall winners with a score of 26. Such is the depth and quality of this team that they would have still won even with Millie’s score instead of any of the other girls! All six girls were then were awarded with medals and given the Birchfield Cross Country Competition Shield; Hallfield’s name forever going to be engraved as the first ever winners of the competition!

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