The Darien Boys Cross Country team was more successful this year than any other year in its franchise history except for 1970's FCIAC title. The team beat 17 out of 17 opponents they faced, and so far have won all of the meets they participated in. They cruised into the FCIAC championship and States with confidence.
The top 10 runners had been training together all season. The four senior captains, Charlie Baird, Michael Johnston, Michael Coe, and Eli Converse, led the squad along with freshman superstar Alex Ostberg, who was a secret weapon for the Wave all season. "Alex's talent wasn't news to us. We were sort of awaiting his arrival," Baird said. "He is a great kid, and it is very fun to have him on the team. " The other top runners helped compose a solid line-up for the 2011 fall season. "Our ninth or tenth runner is usually about as good as other teams' fourth or fifth runner," sophomore Ben Olsen said. He has also contributed to this year's successes as well. He was the team's eighth runner and often finished in the top 20 at dual meets (a two or more team competition). However, only the top seven will race at States, including the five aforementioned runners along with sophomores Peter Kreuch and Marshall Huffman.
An athlete's diet can often be very influential on his/her performance. For many competitors, the food consumed on the day of a meet can often dictate how well he/she does. "We try to always eat healthy, but we focus more on meet days," Baird said. Obviously, staying away from fatty foods is crucial to a healthy diet, but an occasional little treat isn't the end of the world. Most runners can fit unhealthy foods like french fries and ice cream into their daily diets, but an excessive amount can be detrimental. A common athlete dinner consists of a small piece of lean meat, a vegetable and often a carb to provide plenty of energy.
Luckily, injuries were not a limiting factor for the Wave this season. The only disturbances the team faced were Ostberg's minor ankle injury, which prevented him from training for about two weeks, as well as Huffman's short-lived illness. "Overall we are a pretty healthy team," Baird said on the subject. The Darien Cross Country team does not seem to be injury-prone to this sport, but DHS runners have to be very careful nonetheless. Pulled muscles, sprained ankles, and other leg injuries can be more common than they seem. "Stretching is a very important part of the routine," Olsen said. If the runners are not careful, they could be out for weeks, or even the remainder of the season. All four of the senior co-captains have been training together for their junior and senior years, and according to Baird, they know how to "train smart" so that no injuries come up unexpected. Stretching, warming up, cooling down, and plenty of workout fuel can help prevent a season-changing injury.
Certain events of this season have been highlighted more so than others. "Beating Danbury is big. We beat them for the first time since 2004," Baird said proudly. Although Danbury is not as outstanding as they were in years past, the Blue Wave can definitely celebrate over this win. They would, however, come face-to-face with Danbury again in the near future. At the FCIAC championships on October 24, Danbury beat them by just four points, which is a very small margin for such a big meet. Darien finished second with a total score of 58, just behind Danbury's 54, but those few points were enough to take an FCIAC crown away from Darien. This was the seventh year in a row that the Danbury Hatters beat the Wave at the FCIAC title meet. "It was disappointing because of our high hopes coming in but we can't say second place is bad," sophomore Peter Kreuch said.
Overall, the year was unbelievably successful for the team. Hopefully a stand-out runner will step up to the plate in the years to come and keep the Wave rolling. The team had a fun, great year, and definitely grabbed the attention of students and faculty at DHS. "I'm loving all the media coverage we're getting," Baird concluded.
