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Winning is becoming a tradition Middle
School Cross Country
The Windham
Middle School girls cross country team is
quietly building a tradition of winning that
third year coach Paula Pock hopes is only
the beginning, and that it carries over to
the High School Varsity program.
This year’s
girls senior division team (seventh and
eighth graders) went undefeated, including
winning the championship meet on Tuesday
October 30 at South Portland Municipal Golf
Course. Going undefeated over the course of
a season is an accomplishment for any team.
The more amazing thing for this team, or for
six girls on this team; Talia McKay, Mary
Margaret Green, Meghan Rich, Lauren Delcourt,
Bianca Plante and Sarah Paluso, this was the
third consecutive year they have been
members of an undefeated team.
When asked how
these girls completed their middle school
careers without losing a meet, Coach Paula
Pock said, “These eighth graders are very
talented as a group. The top five runners on
this team would probably be the number one
runner on most other teams.” And the final
scores back up that statement of this team’s
dominance, recording perfect scores in five
meets this season.
She is also
excited to see what they can accomplish over
the next four years. “These girls are sure
to make a difference in high school.” Unlike
most other sports, cross country runners can
contribute on the varsity team as freshman.
In cross country, all of the runners,
regardless of grade run together in the same
race, and the top seven finishers from each
team are scored. That means a talented
freshman, or five or six talented freshman,
could be contributing members of the varsity
team.
Coach Pock has
mixed feelings about watching them leave the
Middle School program. She said she will
miss this group, “They are all exceptionally
great kids, more than just great runners.
They are very kind and thoughtful; they show
sportsmanship and are very supportive of
each other. They made coaching a lot of fun,
and even easy.”
While those
girls are running in high school next
season, the Middle School girls team may
very well be working on another undefeated
season. As amazing as that sounds, the
seventh graders are also a talented group
led by Jordan Symonds, Haley Plante and
Jamie Dubois. They too began their middle
schools on an undefeated sixth grade team.
Right behind
the strong crop of seventh graders is a
group of high energy sixth graders who just
completed an undefeated season of their own,
the fourth consecutive year that Windham’s
sixth grade team has gone undefeated.
Leading this
class of standout runners is Samantha Frost.
She is a natural, efficient runner who makes
it look effortless. She won every race this
season and she was often running up with the
older girls. Coach Pock said, “I don’t think
Sam realized she was winning her races
because she didn’t understand even though
all of the girls run together, they are
scored based on the team, or grade they are
in.”
Frost was
joined on the sixth grade team by Lauren
Linevitch, Lauren Shoemaker, Whitney Murray,
Mackenzie Joy, and Nichole McCallum among
others. Coach Pock commented that, “The
sixth grade class reminds me a lot of the
eighth graders.”
The boys teams
are coming into their own as well. The
senior division team started off the season
winning their first few meets before
injuries took their toll. The team finished
fourth in the championship meet on strong
individual efforts by Keegan Brennan (fifth
overall) and Woody Laliberty (ninth
overall). Next season looks bright for the
boys team with the return of seventh graders
Charlie Duross and Joe Mycock among several
other supporting runners from this year’s
team.
The sixth
grade boys team finished second in their
championship meet with Zach Pottle running
an amazing race and finishing fifth overall.
Coach Paula Pock commented that this team,
“Runs well together as a group. They work
together, running together as a pack so they
can challenge each other.”
When a team
starts putting together this kind of success
year after year it often is indicative of a
special kind of coach or a special
connection the coach has been able to make
to motivate the team. Coach Pock however,
quickly points to the immense talent that
she and assistant coach Doug Green have had
the pleasure of coaching over the past few
years as the reason for the team’s success.
Downplaying her contribution to the team’s
success is characteristic of Coach Pock, who
coaches by building the athlete’s confidence
with praise for their efforts and by setting
individual goals that match each runner’s
abilities.
Parent Kelly
Rich said "Coach Paula Pock and Assistant
Coach, Doug Green, have been excellent
coaches for our Windham Middle School cross
country team. My daughter, Meghan, has
developed so much as a runner since 6th
grade thanks to the enthusiasm and
dedication of our two coaches."
Pock does
concede that “If there is anything that we
add to these teams, it is keeping the
practices fun and exciting.” One of the ways
they keep it fun and exciting is by ending
most practices with games such as capture
the flag or ultimate Frisbee. The goal is to
“Keep them constantly moving without them
realizing it.”
Coach Pock is
already looking ahead to next season and
meeting her goals of developing young
runners and building a tradition of winning
that the runners and their community can be
proud of.
COMMENTS:
Coaches Pock
and Green are truly the inspiration behind
the success of this program. Kudos to them!
Congratulations on another spectacular
season!
- Terry McKay
Our son,
Woody, wants Coaches Pock and Green to coach
high school next year when he goes into 9th
grade, but our other son, Patrick wants them
to stay at the middle School because he'll
just be in 7th grade and wants to run for
them again next year!
- Susan
Laliberte
CONGRATS to
the 8th grade girls for going undefeated all
3 years! wOOt
Thank you
Coach Pock and Dad!
:]
- Mary
Margaret Green
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