Successful Day At Fort Devens Challenge!
Wow! What a day.
It wouldn’t be Fall without an MSTCA Cross Country meet on a 60 degree October day. Despite the meets we offered last fall, I think we can all agree that there’s nothing like a fully operational XC season in Massachusetts.
We’ve spent this season doing our absolute best to bring back our long standing backbones: the Frank Kelley Invitational, the Bay State Invitational, the Frank Mooney Coaches Invitational, and of course our premier event, the Bob McIntyre Twilight Invitational. We have taken the job of getting our student-athletes and coaches back to “normal” very seriously, and I hope we have done just that.
We could have considered all of this a success given the circumstances of last year, but we didn’t stop there. We decided to add more events and opportunities into our schedule. We re-invented the MSTCA XC Relay meet, and held it at the fantastic course in Attleboro - Highland Park.
We also endeavored to host a meet at Stanley Park, where the Division 3 class meets will be held, in order to provide equity and opportunity for everyone that runs cross country in Massachusetts. This meet is named after Dick Atkinson, one of the most revered and admired coach in our commonwealth’s history.
The pinnacle of all of this, however, was the Fort Devens Challenge. We offered a meet on a brand new course (slated to be an All-State location in the future), with a brand new format, and we had a fantastic turnout. We offered three different courses, a spectator friendly environment (to say the least), and most importantly - a glimpse of the future.
I know there are so many variables - both in high school sports and in life - still up in the air, but I’m confident that the MSTCA is heading in the right direction, and I’m proud that we will be there to support the student-athletes from Massachusetts regardless of the circumstances or issues that may face us all.
My best and support,