Editor, Manteca Bulletin,
I wanted to let everyone in on the best-kept secret which is cross country. Cross country is a sport that can benefit everyone. I remember a girl that started her freshman year and she almost finished last every race and she never gave up...this year she was determined and she has been a rising star that has had the opportunity to run varsity a couple races as a sophomore. There is no greater feeling than when you see the expression on their faces when they know they have ran their hardest and did what they could. If they didn’t do as well as they wanted you see the team rally behind them.

I feel as though my family has been blessed because of it. My daughters both had the opportunity to run for Sierra High School. They played other sports too like volleyball, basketball and soccer. But there is nothing that can compete with cross country. It is a sport that you can individually do and be successful but it is also a team sport. This has been a wonderful experience because of the following people: Coach Schrock, Coach Elam, Coach Chapman, Coach Rosendin and Coach Green. (I also thank their spouses for allowing them to be away so much.) When my oldest daughter told us she was going to run 5 miles a day we laughed and thought, right. Well, she did it and she felt so great about herself. One of the most important parts is how the coaches take care of the students; if they are struggling in a class the coaches take time out to help them or if they need someone to be there, they are there. The cross country team has one of the highest GPAs in the school. Sierra just had the lobo gold rally and many of the students had 4.0. But beyond that they taught them lifelong skills.

The friendships they have developed are incredible. These kids see each other all week long and still want to hang out on the weekends. The parents are friends too; we have coffee and dinners together. It is not unusual to see all of us together at a restaurant on a Saturday or sitting with each other at meets. At meets you see everyone cheering everyone on including the other schools. No other sport does that! But it is our time to say goodbye to the program and I am not really ready. I want to thank all of those coaches for their time and the hard work they invested into my daughters. You have given us many fond memories and you will never be forgotten. I also want to thank the parents (my friends) for all the love and support you have shown my family through the years. Coaches, you have touched many kids’ lives and have done a great job at it. I want you to know it has been an honor to be a part of your program. We wish you many years of success to come. We will miss you all, coaches, friends and parents. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.