JOHNSTOWN —
When the Chestnut Ridge boys and girls cross country teams convene for practice Aug. 13, the PIAA’s official start date for the fall sports season, a lot more will go into preseason training than endless miles of road work.
For the Lions, the most important day of the season isn’t a season-opening meet or a race against a rival school, it’s a Saturday in mid-August.
The Chestnut Ridge Cross Country Boosters will host a 5K fundraiser and a 7-mile trail run Aug. 18 at Shawnee State Park starting at 8 a.m.
For the cross country teams, it’s the largest of several fundraisers designed to keep the program in operation after school budget cuts eliminated the sport along with boys golf before the 2011-12 school year.
“It can make or break the season financially,” said Lions cross country coach Jason Tew. “If we don’t get enough money from the fundraiser, we’ll have to scramble and come up with more. That’s what we did last year. We had five or six different fundraisers after the race and I believe we had eight fundraisers total.”
Last year’s 5K, also called the Alligator Run, raised roughly half of the estimated $4,000 needed to maintain the boys and girls cross country teams, which fielded 13 runners but did not have the necessary five girls to field a full team.
The small roster was a key reason why the decision was made to cut the sport.
“It’s the whole budget crunch. The sad thing about it is the kids get penalized,” said Shane Weyant, a member of the Chestnut Ridge school board who voted for the cut but is one of the race’s sponsors through Creative Pultrusions. “You’re forced to run it like a business. Basically, it came down to participation levels.”
Parents, former Lions runners and members of the community attended the meeting to question the cuts. Shortly after, the booster club went into action.
In addition to the usual fundraisers, the 5K was organized. More than 120 people participated last year.
“The community was very supportive,” said Lisa Farnan, a member of the Chestnut Ridge Cross Country Boosters and the person Weyant credits with keeping the program afloat.
“We were really pleased with how it turned out, but we’re kind of getting nervous about this year. It was a shock to the runners and community that they would cut the program, but it’s been a year.”
Farnan’s son, Jimmy, along with Jordan Schoenberger and Tony Naugle have been the program’s most active recruiters. Tew credits the trio, who will all be seniors, for their fundraiser work and ability to convince others to try the sport.
Because of uncertainty with the team’s status last year, the Lions lacked the preseason training of other cross country teams. The result was a disappointing season in terms of wins and losses, but it was a completed season.
And Chestnut Ride plans to compete this fall regardless of the turnout for the 5K Alligator Run and the Off Your Rocker 7-mile run.
For more information on the races, visit http://ridgerunners.embarqspace.com/#.
“It’s been great to see everybody come together and support the program the way they have,” Tew said. “It’s a sport for different athletes. It’s a sport anybody can do. Anybody can go out for a run.”
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Related Photos
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More than 120 people participated in last year’s fundraising run at Shawnee State Park. Mike Kovac
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