Why Cross Country is the Ultimate Team Sport

“ We’ve been talking and preaching about everyone running not just for themselves, but for the team.”

This quote is from my son Brandon, in a recent article about the Georgetown men’s and women’s cross country teams.

As a life long runner and proud father of three accomplished runners, I have come to realize what an amazing team sport cross-country truly is. In fact, it is the ultimate team sport.

Many people think of cross-country as an individual sport where teammates simply run to their individual ability with no connection to each other and no game plan. On a well coached cross-country team that couldn’t further from the truth.

Because most team sports are designed to go head to head against the opponent with specific plays and game plans, the average sports fan can’t imagine that everyone running in the same direction with a score tabulated by the lowest score based on your top five runners would be anything other than an individual sport that happens to have a team scoring concept.

Here are some things to consider. In team sports like baseball, basketball or football, a team can win because one or two players had a great game or made the right play at the right time. In fact, a player can actually be having a terrible game and at the right moment make the play that wins the game.

In basketball an individual can score 50 points and have a huge impact on whether or not their team wins. In cross-country, where the lowest score wins, the biggest impact one person can have is one point. They can totally dominate and win but that effort will never be worth more than one point. This puts the pressure on the rest of the team to perform well because five runners have to have great races to win.

In a cross-country race, from the moment the gun goes off, each runner has to perform and put themselves in position to score. There is no “timeout” to collect your thoughts or run a play. Each step they take either puts them in a position to score or not. If they are having a bad race, a few outstanding steps is not going to change that. You have to be good and consistent throughout the race.

Traditional team sports can have complicated plays where people have to execute in a moment. In cross-country every moment and each step counts.

In seasonal meets every runner on a cross-country team gets to complete the course or “play the entire game.” Who actually becomes part of the scoring team is a completely objective process.

Because everyone’s individual process is based on the same circumstances, individual preparation and skill, each team runner understands and respects the other runners. On well-coached teams the coaches know exactly how to use this positive emotion to their advantage.

It is one thing to be able to reach down and pull something out of yourself just because you are individually tough. It is another level of accomplishment to be struggling as an individual and being able to pull something out of yourself simply because you are part of a team and want to do your best because they are counting on you.

I’ve seen cross-country runners get spiked, lose a shoe, sprain an ankle and actually break a leg during a race and finish.  They are individually tough and when they come together as a team they become even tougher.

Great coaches know exactly how to make the most of this team spirit.

It starts with understanding the individual emotional, intellectual and physical capabilities of each runner and then spending months designing workouts, pairing them with others, and using each workout to increase their individual and team self-esteem.

On the day of a race great coaches always have a distinct plan based on the course, the teams they are facing, (Yes they face multiple teams at one, another piece of strategy that  “traditional” team sport coaches don’t encounter) the weather and how their team strength matches all those factors.

When Brandon talks about “ running for the team” he is talking about the process of each runner understanding theirs strengths, making the most of their individual talent and digging deeper simply because each runner wants to win as a team.

That is what great coaches do and that is why cross-country is the ultimate team sport.

The Best Testimonial About A Teacher Who Happens To Be My Mom

I use my video camera at work to promote our products at Coast of Maine. More importantly, I use it in my personal life to record family moments, history and to film my loved ones and friends to preserve them and their memories.

Last week I received a call from a medicinal marijuana caregiver, named David, who was radiant in his praise of our new soil, designed to grow marijuana, called Stonington Blend

As he spoke I was immediately connected to him. He was smart, honest, kind, well spoken and charismatic. He is growing marijuana because of chronic back pain. As the conversation progressed I said, “Would you be willing to give me a video testimonial?” “Absolutely.” Was his response.

We agreed that I would come to his house over the weekend and as we were getting off the phone he said one more thing.

“Is your mom Ann Bonsey”

With a name like Bonsey people are much more likely to ask this question ,then if my name was Smith, and every time someone asks me this question about my parents, siblings or children it is always a positive experience.

Click Here to View Video

“Now you are going to make me cry.” I responded. “Yes she is my mother.”

“Your mom was an amazing teacher and she had a tremendous impact on my life.”

He said several other positive things about mom and then I asked “Can I also video tape you talking about my mom?

“Absolutely.”

My mom is dealing with Alzheimers and although she never watches TV she always loves the videos of her and our family. I knew this one was really going to be special.

When I arrived at David’s house it was beautiful, well maintained and I just felt comfortable being there.

We shot the first testimonial for  Coast of Maine and David was simply a natural. Then while David was tending his plants I kept the camera rolling and simply said, “ As you are squirting your plants here just tell me, as it comes to you, about my mom.”

To the right is the result of that interview. This is the best testimonial for a teacher I have ever seen or heard. Thank you David!

He Doesn't Miss Us When We're Gone....

My dad always says he doesn’t miss my brothers and me when we’re gone. I used to not understand it. He has always said "I know the three of you are doing what you love when you're away from home. It doesn't make me sad when you’re not around, it makes me excited." And for a while, every time he said it, I would get it, but not completely. Slowly, however, over time, I've come to recognize exactly how my dad feels. 

Now I know that my dad feels a slight tinge of sadness when, at the end of the summer, he comes home to an empty 196 Sea Road and knows that the three of us won't be walking through our screen door any time soon. I know that when he saunters into his kitchen with its quaint white cabinets and rugged hardwood floors and opens up the refrigerator to grab a can of PBR, he is a little sad that one of us isn’t there to sit at the kitchen table and enjoy it with him. But I do believe that he doesn't miss us. And what I mean by that is I do believe that he is happy for us. And most importantly, I do believe that he is happy, despite our absence. Because the thing about us, about our family, is that we are connected even when we are away from each other. 

I know that when I am at practice and I get excited about one of my athlete's workouts, my family is right there with me, feeling the same excitement. I know that whenever I feel by my lonesome and I'm sitting in my empty dorm room, I think of our summers in Kennebunk and I start to feel a little less lonely. I do not feel sadness. There is a significant energy about our family that runs through us, even when we're miles apart. We’re kind of like a wave pool. Or maybe more like an ocean current. We are waves of energy, circling about.

My dad knows that when we are away from home, all three of us are out living our own dreams. I have had several phone exchanges with him since I've been back at school and every single one of them is immensely positive. They all begin with dad answering the phone with a jubilant "hey!" and end with dad saying "you're fucking killing it! We are all fucking killing it!" I can't help but fill up with energy after those phone calls. And I know dad is filled up with that same energy; absolutely, completely filled to the brim. 

So even though I really do miss my dad and my brothers when I'm back at school, I feel so happy about the energy they are creating on their own, away from me. At my own pace, I have come around to dad’s selfless philosophies. And every day, I realize more and more how much of a stable, positive, and strong person he truly is. And this realization keeps me filled up to the brim with that same energy. I simply feel happy. And I know the whole gang feels it too.  

Balanced Love

Love is a difficult concept and one that seems to trip up many people.

There are several types of love. For example, love for a friend, love for relatives, love of a parent for a child and the love of one person to another in a relationship.

All types of love come with their own complications.

I hear people speak of things like unconditional love and I believe that the key to any healthy relationship is balanced love.

I’ve always felt that when my ex-wife and I had children, regardless of how we raised them, they owed us nothing. We made the choice to bring them into the world and it was our responsibility to take care of them and raise them with love and understanding.

I know that I have been fortunate. I was gifted with wanting to be a good parent and my kids and I have always had a wonderful, trusting and deep relationship. I have always been there for them and they have never done anything that would make me question our relationship.

Having said that, they have always known that I don’t believe in unconditional love.  I believe that is a huge part of the reason that we all have such an amazing, deep relationship.

They knew that I was going to be patient and liberal, on the small indiscretions, but if there were any prolonged misbehavior or major indiscretions, I didn’t and don’t feel any need to still be there for them.

I know this sounds harsh and that people will think, “Well you haven’t experienced this, that or some other thing.” This is true. I haven’t experienced “this, that or some other thing” and I know that I have been blessed and lucky. I am thankful for that everyday.

In defining that “luck” my luck started with knowing that I wanted to be a parent.

From that point it was my responsibility to make sure that I was present and in the moment with my kids as often as I could be. I was.

Because I was I was able to develop a deep, trusting and conditional relationship with my kids we were able to handle a divorce and several huge transitions while deepening our relationship.

My hope is that they will enter loving relationships with a sense of “balance”.

Give enough, receive enough but don’t give or receive too much.

Our Favorite Reality Show

On Sunday night, June 6th at 9:30 pm Kourt, Sam and I sat down on our living room couch to watch our favorite show. It wasn’t the Kardashian’s, but it was a reality show. The best kind of reality show based on guts, determination, talent, mentoring, drama, overcoming odds and simply the best of human qualities.

The beginning of Brandon’s summer had been delayed because his athletes, at Georgetown University, qualified for several national calibers meets. Kourt’s summer has been delayed with Master Classes and coaching tasks at Regis College while Sam is working full time and continuing to increase his own running.

On Sunday we were sitting down to watch the 10,000 meters at the USA Track & Field Junior Championships. Georgetown Freshman Jonathan Green was running.

The piece that made this race so special for Kourt, Sam and I was that we knew, through Brandon, the history of Jon’s accomplishments and his struggles with injury and illness. The fact that he was simply competing was a huge accomplishment in and of itself.

Jon had been a Two-time Foot Locker National qualifier, Two-time Massachusetts Division 1 All-State Cross Country Champion
, Two-time Massachusetts All-State Indoor Two-Mile Champion and course record holder at North Field Mountain and Gardner Municipal Golf Course, two storied Massachusetts cross country courses.

I remember distinctly how excited Brandon was when Jon committed to Georgetown. What Brandon talked about in regard to Jon were his toughness, mental attitude and work ethic. Jon clearly learned these traits from his parents and growing up working at the family hardware store.

Jon developed IT band problems in the middle of his senior year of high school causing his progression to be slowed and his training to be modified. He ran during the indoor senior season still winning an indoor 2-mile championship even when he had to take large chunk of time off.

As Brandon began to develop Jon’s training for his comeback he had to balance Jon’s incredible drive, his biomechanics that were causing issues and help keep Jon within himself while realizing that Georgetown’s goal was to develop him as a runner, student and person over the course of 4 or 5 years.

That ability to completely understand and empower a young athlete based on the athlete’s personal traits is a key to coaching.

Georgetown had to red-shirt Jon for his entire freshman year while the IT band problem slowly healed, only to be followed by an achille tendon issue and then mononucleosis.

During this time Brandon often said, “Dad, this kid is going to be good.”

As Jon began to heal in the spring Brandon was amazed by how quickly Jon was able to start running with the other runners on the team who had trained all year. As he slowly gave Jon more and more intense workouts, his belief in Jon only deepened.

Jon was able to qualify for the USAFT Junior National Championships by running an open 3,000-meter race in 8:29.  Though it was good enough to qualify it was not a time that lead anyone to think that Jon could possibly do well enough in the 10,000 meters, a race that he had never run, to qualify for the USATF World Championships.

A few week before the Nationals Brandon sent me a text outlining Jon’s 5 by mile workout. As we exchange texts about how good it was Brandon said, “This kid can win the 10,000.”

Sometimes you wonder if statements like this are simply a young coaches’ enthusiasm, yet I’ve know Brandon his whole life and statements like that always come with a deep sense that these types of accomplishments are attainable.

I don’t know what he told Jon but I do know that being patient, sticking to a plan and listening to coaching instruction during the race were key components.

With all this background information and a link to the live feed of the race Kourt, Sam and I were huddled on the couch and squinting to see the 6-inch screen.

Jon Green

It was 85 degrees and humid as the race started and the announcers focused on 3 other runners that they clearly felt would be the top finishers. We didn’t even know which runner was Jon because he was wearing a white Georgetown jersey (We were looking for the traditional Blue and Gray) and the announcers didn’t mention him until about 1.5 miles into the race. At that point he was in 7^th place in a closely packed group, looking totally relaxed.

As the race progressed past the 5,000-meter mark the announcers started to mention Jon’s name saying several times that he was a “fly in the ointment”. They started to Google Jon trying to find recent race results and were unimpressed by his 3,000 meter race and 4:24 high school mile.

Between the 4 and 5-mile marks they started to mention what a smart race he was running and how well coached he was. Even at the point they were still focusing on the favorites, expecting one of them to win the race.

With 1200 meters to go Jon took the lead and Kourt, Sam and I went from simply enjoying an analyzing the race to yelling and screaming. You could tell that the announcers were still expecting one of the favorites to come back and win but Jon kept increasing the pace and ran the last 400 in 62 seconds to win in 30:54.

We exploded with excitement and texting Brandon to congratulate him.

After the race Jon was quoted as saying,”(My coaches) helped me quite a bit because this is my first 10k ever. The training I’ve had at Georgetown has been awesome in keeping my fitness really, really high. Obviously, I’m excited to represent my country. I’ve looked forward to this for a long time. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Georgetown. My coaches got me here, so they will get me prepared for worlds.”

When I read those words I get a tear in my eye with pride for Jon, Brandon and Georgetown. Brandon will be taking off again to Coach Jon at the World Championships and Kourt, Sam and I will be cheering while we watch our favorite reality show.