Welcome to Camberwell Grammar School Cross Country Team, 2009.
This is my first year as Cross Country co-ordinator and I am looking forward to an equally, if not more successful year than 2008. It was great to see the improvement made by all runners throughout the season. Our success was due mainly to dedicated training, motivation and enthusiasm. We are a TEAM in every sense of the word. All members train together, encouraging each other, however we still maintain a healthy amount of individual competitiveness which enables individuals to constantly improve.
For those new to Cross Country, thank you for joining the team. I am lead to believe that this is the biggest Cross Country team Camberwell has ever had, which is fantastic. I am excited that so many boys are drawn to the sport as a means of maintain a high level of fitness through rigorous, but fun, training sessions. Our current year 12’s are a great example of this with a record 17 competitors. Through years of persistence they have become some of our strongest runners and we are expecting big things from the seniors this year. Running can often provide a great outlet for the stress and strain of everyday school life and competition makes it even more rewarding.
It is important that you monitor your own training and listen to your body. Injuries are inevitable, but with appropriate management they are not debilitating. Your nutrition also plays a major role in your performance and on the website you will find guides to what you should be eating. Make sure this includes plenty of carbohydrates on training days and that you are constantly drinking enough water.
Last, but not least, I would like to thank all the coaches, both teachers and external, who contribute to the effectiveness of our Cross Country team. With such a large team it would be easy to let runners slip between the cracks, however, our devoted leaders never let this happen.
What I ask of you, as a sportsman and member of the Camberwell Grammar Cross Country team, is to set yourself an individual goal for the 2009 season. Your captain Julian has already sets his sights on the top 10. Where do you see yourself?
Good luck! ELC
FROM THE CAPTAIN
Welcome to what promises to be another successful, enjoyable Cross Country season. Training has been underway for almost two weeks and it is encouraging to see so many runners participating in training sessions. With one of the largest sport teams in the school, the upcoming season promises to be exciting, and very promising from the early signs.
Last year Camberwell finished a credible 5th position and hopefully will be pushing towards greater feats this year. We have some great junior talent developing which will be exciting to watch as they progress throughout the season. The intermediate division promises to be another good season with unprecedented strength over the Year 9 and 10s division. To the Senior runners: the twilight moments of School Sport are quickly drawing upon us. Do not let what may be the last chance to represent the school crawl by, let’s make these memories truly memorable.
This season, I challenge all runners to take their game to the next level. That may mean pushing yourselves at training to the maximum, preparing yourself appropriately for race day or even just encouraging your team-mates to reach that finish line. If we can all adopt this persona, then the results that we desire will come. Remember, we are a TEAM. By working together and providing friendly competition and encouragement, we can achieve what we want.
I would like to thank Miss Crowden and the teachers for this tremendous opportunity to lead this great Cross Country Squad. And while I may be the appointed “captain”, I would like to point out that the other 16 year 12’s are all very capable and will no doubt be willing to give some advice and leadership to anyone who may be unsure on anything.
With such great unity and competitiveness within the squad this year, the true “Weller’s Spirit” is being embraced by all. We look forward with great anticipation to the first race of the season at Bulleen. Good luck to all competitors in Round 1! I’ll see you all on the track!
Julian Lim
