Yesterday Anthony had his last cross country meet. It isn't the last for his team.....but it is the last for Anthony. He leaves on a week long FFA trip to Nationals on Saturday, and so he'll miss districts next week.....meaning he can't attend State the week after.
So that's a bummer, but this FFA trip is an important experience for him. He earned 1st place for his division on his SAE project in Washington State, which qualified him for Nationals! But that didn't guarantee him an actual spot to present at Nationals. From my understanding, after making changes to the project based on state judging recommendations and resubmitting to Nationals, only the top 10 students out of 50 get to present. Anthony received a bronze, which didn't place him in the top 10 for Nationals. Still, his teachers recognized his effort and hard work and wanted him to come to Nationals anyway as it would be a great experience for him. So he doesn't qualify to present and go any further than 1st in the state, but he does get to go on an amazing week long trip to Indianapolis and have a bunch of fun.
So, last day of the season for him yesterday. Sam and I haven't been able to attend any of Anthony's cross country meets because they've all been away meets. Yesterday was suppose to be the only home meet, and so Sam and I had plans to watch Molly play her last volleyball game, and then rush over to the golf course to watch Anthony run. I was REALLY looking forward to going. I haven't been able to get a single photo of Anthony, and no one else seems to take photos of the group either, lol.
Unfortunately, the wind picked up and blew a whole bunch of smoke from an out of town fire into Goldendale and so all the school district's outdoor sports events had to be cancelled due to the poor air quality. UGH! The cross country coach managed to call another school district and they volunteered to host instead, so the group did get to race, but I am so bummed it wasn't here and we didn't get to see him.
At least someone did take a photo, finally! The team placed 1st and won a trophy, which was pretty awesome. The first photo is the whole group, the second is Anthony with his two buddies Rowan and Sean.
Cross country was new for Anthony, and there were many times he wasn't enjoying the day after day long runs. It truly is a tough sport, physically and mentally. I couldn't do it, that's for sure. Despite the hard times, he stuck to it and persevered. He found his stride, found new friends, found some confidence, and grew a great deal.
He'll enjoy a break this winter, and then participate in track in the Spring. Although I suppose in order to stay in shape he still needs to work out and run a bit! So not total break, but a little bit of one anyway!
We proud of you, Anthony!
With love, Mama Hauck
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