Wesley Perkins, Sports Reporter
On September 22, Trinity Christian Academy made school history by hosting its first cross-country meet at the TCA football field. With a brand-new home course and a large crowd of students, parents, and teachers coming out to support, the atmosphere was filled with energy and excitement. The event gave TCA’s cross-country team the opportunity to show off all their hard work in front of a home crowd. Organizing and preparing a brand-new cross-country course on campus was no easy task, but dedicated planning and support helped make the historic day a success.
Head Coach Matthew Hahn played a central role in organizing the meet and bringing a home event to TCA. Reflecting on his own background, Coach Hahn shared, “my high school had a cross-country meet… and now I wanted TCA to have a cross-country meet.” He explained that having campus land available inspired him to bring back a tradition, noting that “we used to host 2 cross-country meets a year… it became something that we were very proud of as a school.” Preparing the campus required measuring out a 5K route for the high school boys and a 2-mile route for the girls and middle schoolers. Coach Hahn also praised leaders like Coach Snow and Mr. Spaight for their work in preparing the meet. The coaching staff wanted to make sure the meet stood out through “the professionalism of it, and just the way that it’s run.”
For the TCA runners, competing on a familiar course created a unique physical and mental advantage. Since the athletes practice on the course regularly, they felt more comfortable with the terrain. Samuel Keyes explained that “once we get out there, everyone’s gonna know it’s different because we run that course every day,” adding that “the more you run a course… the shorter that track gets for you mentally.” This made it “much easier mentally to run this past race.” Hatcher Allen also noted that “the course was a lot faster, just because it was flatter,” and that “the nerves were a little lesser than usual, just because it was, you know, home stadium and all.” Even with the excitement of running at home, the runners stayed focused on giving their best effort.
The student spectators and crowd also played an important role in cheering on the runners and creating an exciting environment. Having classmates and friends lining the sidelines made a difference for the athletes. Samuel shared that it was “really encouraging to be running and seeing like more of my school friends just like cheer me on as I was running.” Another team member mentioned how special it was “for like the whole school to come out and see the cross-country team, see the work we’ve been putting in,” calling it “a great atmosphere.” The spectators were just as excited to be part of the event. Olivia Sigala said she was eager “to go watch and support the team and see how they ran,” adding that her favorite part of the meet was “seeing everybody… look relieved and happy” after crossing the finish line.
With preparation from the coaches, hard work from the runners, and support from students and families, TCA’s first home cross-country meet became a memorable milestone for the school. The new home course gave the athletes an opportunity to compete in front of their classmates while bringing the school community together. The meet also marks the beginning of what could become an exciting new tradition at Trinity Christian Academy.