PJXC 2020
A SENSE OF NORMALCY
2020 ... A year unlike any other. As I write this and begin to reflect back upon this past season I think of all of the things we missed out on. Cross Country Camp with the High School. Summer Run Club in July. So many of our favorite invitationals and cross country courses. Walking in the Homecoming Parade, Olive Garden, State and on and on! This year it has become so easy to dwell on everything we've missed out on. I've been just as guilty as the next of falling into this trap.
At this point, I think just about everyone cannot wait for the masks to be put away, social distancing to become a distant memory, and life to resume as we once knew it.
Yet, if there's one thing I would not trade for anything from 2020, it's one of the MOST INCREDIBLE TEAMS I've ever had the privilege of being apart of!
2020 wouldn't see any medals handed out, pictures with trophies and plaques, or even a pre-sectional team meal. Instead it would see a group of 30 kids come together and form one of the most tightly knit groups we've ever seen. We were on a mission this year. While running for fun and personal bests continued to be the goal, this season represented so much more. Mask wearing, daily temp checks and health screenings, and remaining socially distant couldn't stop a group of individuals from becoming another vital piece of the PJXC FAMILY!
So many personal bests were achieved this season I couldn't even begin to total them all up. The amount of hills we covered at Coal Miners, the laps throughout the Park, and the numerous races on our course and even some new ones throughout central Illinois continued a legacy of family and togetherness that no pandemic could possibly stop!
To Ryan, Allie, Raegan, Cooper, Scout, Keyara, Devon, Isaiah, Xander, Kami, Mike, Jo, Gaby, Erin, Charlie, Izzi, and Chuck .... THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! I can't begin to say those two words enough. For everything each and every one of you have done for PJXC, we will be forever grateful! Your 8th grade class has been a guiding light filled with positivity, encouragement, and PJXC SPIRIT for us to follow through one of the most unique cross country seasons we have ever seen. Never once did a practice, meet, or any other cross country moment loose what makes this sport so special, and that is thanks to an incredible group of 8th graders who remembered one simple thing, TEAM, TEAM, TEAM!
We wish you all the best at PCHS in all that you encounter. We hope to see many of you running for Coach Stoner, Coach Jones, and Coach Swanson next fall. We also look forward to cheering for those of you who choose other sports and paths at PCHS and wish all of you nothing but the most success as you move forward! ONCE A DRAGON, ALWAYS A DRAGON!
To Halle, Chance, Keegan, Isaak, Cadence, Grant, Jackson, Bis, Eli, Maddi, Addy, Leila, Ava, and Jason the PJXC program is now in your hands! Over the course of this season I have been absolutely blown away by how you all have blended into this wonderful world of cross country while missing so many of the normal summer bonding activities that we count on! This group of 7th graders embodies EVERYTHING that PJXC stands for and I am sooooooo EXCITED for each and every one of you to lead an entire new group as we look towards PJXC 2021! We need all of you back this coming summer and fall with the same love for running, togetherness, and team spirit that we'll carry on from this past 2020 season. We can't wait to see all of the great things that are in store for you next season! What an AWESOME group to take us into 2021!
PJXC 2020, CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU ON A TREMEMNDOUS SEASON AND GIVING US ALL THE SENSE OF NORMALCY WE SO DESPARATELY NEEDED!
D-R-A-G-O-N-S .... DRAGONS ARE THE BEST, BEST, BEST!