“I’ve been waiting two years for this!” whispered Saugus’ Sam Ortega to me this morning at the CIF Southern Section Cross Country Division II award ceremony. Later I realized this was the theme of today’s championship races. Two of my sisters raced in Lawrence, Kansas at the famed Rim Rock Farm for NAIA nationals while Saugus, the team I am an assistant coach of, raced at Mt. Sac in Walnut, CA. My sister, Karis, helped her team qualify for nationals last year and made the trip to Lawrence, but due to a string of injuries, she was unable to compete. Another sister, Abigail, only competed in three races in her senior year of high school at Saugus, due to a torn ligament in her foot which she sustained at the end of September last year. She cross trained like crazy in hopes that she would be back in time for state three months later, but just as she started running again, she got bronchitis which held her out of the state meet. Her teammates, including Sam, had finished second at State without two of their top 7 girls, and came within 5 points of winning. Had they won, this would have been their 8th state title in a row! The week before, at CIF Finals 2013, the Saugus girls fell to a disappointing sixth place, when they had hoped to win. Many teams would love to place 6th and qualify for state, but when you have the dynasty of toughness, determination and winning that Saugus has, it’s disheartening.
Fast forward a year, to this morning. Karis and Abigail raced in Kansas at the NAIA nationals with their team, placing 13th out of 38 teams. Karis was All-American for the second time in cross country in college, 6th time in her entire running career. Abigail fought the elements which affected her breathing and other unusual factors, but still finished 3rd on the team as a freshman, finishing 100th out of 336 women. Both girls have waited two years to be in a championship race. Both have come from Saugus, where the tradition of excellence is not forgotten. But both were running for a very small team, whose only desire is to run to the best of their ability to bring God all the glory. The team’s finish may not have been what they had been training for all season, but their mindset and attitudes are what matters the most.
Sam may not have had the individual race she was hoping for today, but she led her team to the seventh CIF Southern Section championship in the last 9 years. After the ceremony, the emotions of carrying on the Saugus tradition hit her and the other seniors, realizing they had just brought the trophy home once again.
As I thought about the events of the day on the drive home, it struck me that two years is a long time in one sense, and a very short time in another sense. Two years can go by so fast when everything is fun and easy. But when defeats come and destroy the desire of winning, two years seem to drag on forever. Ask yourself, do you pick yourself up after defeats and work even harder to reach your goals? Or do you just give up and think you’ll never win? Each of these girls knows what it is like to win and to lose. But the way they have conducted themselves after the losses and worked harder than ever to reach their goals of winning is more important than winning itself. This is why I enjoy sports so much, because they teach you to pick yourself up, shake it off, work harder and aim higher than before. You can look back to see how to fix your mistakes, but do not dwell on the past or the mistakes. Sports teach life lessons of hard work, diligence and excellence. Next time you get knocked down, how will you respond?
Saugus girls after winning their 7th CIF title in 9 years
Saugus athletes and coaches
My parents, Abigail and Karis after receiving her All-American award
A Mustang's Musings 