October 14
October 14, 2008October 16
October 16, 2008
Runners don’t like to run alone.
They prefer to have someone chasing them, pushing them to set a faster time.
South Terrebonne senior Chase Menard and South Lafourche junior Blaine Gisclair did that for each other during the South Terrebonne Gator Invitational Cross Country meet last Wednesday.
The pair, who have been friends for years, separated themselves from the field in the 2.75-mile race around the South Terrebonne campus and onto the Memorial Stadium track.
Coming down the stretch, Menard found an extra burst and pulled away to win the boys meet in 16:53.
Gisclair finished second in 16:57 and Vandebilt Catholic’s Christopher Watson placed third in 17:34.
“Me and Blaine have been going neck and neck since last year,” said Menard, 17. “We both won in district. We’re both working really hard to stay near each other as much as we can. We’re fighting each other for the top spots.”
“It was rough. I’m glad I made it,” said Gisclair, 16, who won the meet at Vandeblit a week earlier. “Me and him ran AAU summer league track together. We fought hard until the end and talked to each other throughout the race.”
Ellender sophomore Hali Yarmush did not have her running buddy, Terrebonne’s Skyla Jackson, to set the pace in the girls race. (Jackson withdrew because of a calf injury).
It would not matter, however, as Yarmush won her first meet of the season in a time of 21:04. Central Lafourche’s Mia Eschete finished second in 22:17, and Vandebilt Catholic’s Emily Carrere placed third in 22:55.
“Since last year, I’ve been coming in second place behind Skyla,” said Yarmush, 15. “I’m disappointed she couldn’t finish the race. I feel she would have pushed me more. Hopefully, next week, I can finally catch her.”
In the overall team competition, South Lafourche claimed the boys’ title with 30 points. South Terrebonne came in second with 67 points and Thibodaux was third with 84 points.
Vandebilt Catholic won the girls’ team title accumulating 40 points. South Terrebonne finished second with 61 points and South Lafourche placed third with 123 points.
This was the third meet for most of the participating teams. Meets at H.L. Bourgeois and Peltier Park were cancelled because of school closings for hurricanes Gustav and Ike.
The two-week hiatus threw cross-country coaches’ training schedules off track.
“We’re kind of starting over,” said South Terrebonne coach Scott Guidroz. “When they (the team) came back, they couldn’t run because their houses were flooded. Some of the kids are still not back in their homes. I had to change the course because there’s a three-foot wide hole where the course used to run.”
Many of the runners found it hard to maintain their conditioning while away during Gustav.
“I evacuated to Kansas. I didn’t want to run because it’s cold up there.” Yarmush said. “I ran once up there and their blocks are super long, like a football field.”
“The storms really affected me,” Mernard added. “We (his family) went to three or four different cities to escape the storms, so I didn’t get to run like I wanted.”
For results from yesterday’s cross country meet at South Lafourche, visit www.tri-parishtimes.com.
South Terrebonne’s Chase Menard was four seconds faster than South Lafourche’s Blaine Gisclair last Wednesday in the South Terrebonne Gator Invitational Cross Country. The two are friends who compete together on a regular basis. * Photo by KEYON K. JEFF
