By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
The Port Isabel cross country meet shouldn’t be viewed solely as an opportunity for teams to hang out at the beach, although that possibility certainly adds to the attraction and uniqueness of the annual event.
Coaches and runners participating in Saturday’s meet at South Padre Island know there’s competitive work to be done by booking it 1 1/2 miles up the beach in the varsity races and then doubling back and scurrying to the finish line before they can allow themselves a little relaxation time, possibly by just sitting and watching the waves roll in along the shores of Andy Bowie Park and maybe even by having an outdoor barbecue.
Still, following that plan for the day is exactly the reason some teams are coming to the meet, which has been staged annually 20 or more years, Port Isabel girls cross country coach Dawn Aguilar-Snyder said.
Aguilar-Snyder, a former standout athlete at Los Fresnos, is in her first year as the Lady Tarpons’ coach. She said teams are coming from as far away as Laredo Cigarroa and Roma, and they plan to spend some time taking it easy and soaking in the peaceful atmosphere following the meet.
“The Roma coach told me they had never done this before and that they were really looking forward to it,” Aguilar-Snyder said. “They want to hang out at the beach (after the meet) and make a day of it.”
Aguilar-Snyder expects between 10 and 15 teams to participate both for the boys and girls. She said under the meet’s format, it wouldn’t be known until right before race time just how many teams are going to compete. The meet begins at 8:30 a.m. with the 3-mile varsity girls race at Andy Bowie Park followed by the varsity boys running the same distance. There also will be divisions for junior varsity, freshmen and middle-school athletes, with races covering shorter distances.
Porter’s boys and Lopez’s girls were Class 5A/4A team champions one year ago. Rivera’s Jackie Valles was the girls individual winner, and Harlingen South’s Aaron Medina captured the same honor for the boys.
Port Isabel’s girls were team champions in the Class 3A-and-under division in 2013, and Aguilar-Snyder believes they can do well again.
“I would say our chances are very good,” she said. “We’re improving every week, and running on the beach is nothing new for our runners.”
She said the top runners for the Lady Tarpons are Clara Christensen, Ava Gomez and Brisia Gonzalez. For the Port Isabel boys team, coached by Salvador Hernandez, the top runners are Felipe Cacho and Kevin Ortiz.