This article appears courtesy of the Springfield Republican.
September 24, 2007
By Ron Chimelis
COLUMN: RON CHIMELIS
This is the team whose athletes warm up while engaging in some test of brainpower - reciting the names of African nations before each sit-up, for instance.
It’s the team that practices without shirts on. And oh yes, there’s one more thing.
Since 1997, the Amherst Regional boys cross country team has won 106 consecutive high school dual meets, believed to be the nation’s longest ongoing streak, and one of the sport’s 12 longest of all time.
Folks, meet one of the best high school teams you’ve never seen.
"People are aware of us, but the streak is not headline news in Amherst," said Michael Lawlor, one of four captains - all juniors - on a 33-man team with only two impact seniors, Jonathan Ho and Adrian Cann.
You should know two things about cross country: it is physically punishing, and it does not offer fame. If you don’t love it, it’s not worth it.
"What we want to do most is win, but without the element of fun, not too many people can hang in with this," said Chris Gould, the coach since 1995.
The cheerful, positive Gould might be categorized as a "modern" coach. But why does having fun while doing well have to be just a "modern" concept?
"He more than does his part, and the streak is fun, but we don’t let it define us," said Barry Elkinton, a co-captain with Lawlor, Ray Dannenhauer and Aidan Dumont-McCaffrey.
"The meet are determined only by the top seven," Dannenhauer said. "We focus on our times, on everybody doing better."
While having fun, the Hurricanes still push themselves on their killer home course.
"We have other teams drive the first half of it by bus, and it freaks them out, sometimes," Elkinton said.
"There are two tough hills," Dumont-McCaffrey said. "We call one the Green Monster."
The Hurricanes can’t recall a truly close, streak-endangering meet since the run began in 1997. A runner on that ’97 team, Eric Nazar, is now an assistant coach.
Occasionally, they do finish somewhere other than first - at high-quality regional invitationals with multiple teams, for instance. Amherst has won six of the last eight Western Massachusetts meets, but lost last fall to Ludlow, the sport’s new co-power.
Head-to-head, though, the Hurricanes keep winning with unbeatable depth. Tennis standout Atticus Brigham joined this year and is running at No. 5.
The Amherst-Ludlow dual meet, postponed earlier this season, will be run on Oct. 29. Since the streak began, this might be Amherst’s toughest head-to-head challenge yet.
"They have very good runners," Ho said. "It should be very interesting, and close."
To these true athletes, all but unbeatable for a decade, the challenge will only add to the fun.
"That should be a great meet," Gould said. "For us, for them, for everybody."
Ron Chimelis can be reached at rchimelis@repub.com