By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
Cross country is a sport that seldom experiences controversy.
Still, from time to time, it pops up, such as this weekend, at least from a Brownsville perspective.
For the second straight year, the seventh annual Meet of Champions staged by the Rio Grande Valley Cross Country Coaches Association, this time in Donna, will go head-to-head Saturday with the annual Brownsville ISD meet.
It hasn’t always been that way, and in fact, prior to 2013, the Meet of Champions had been held on a different Saturday that didn’t conflict with the annual date of the BISD meet.
But for two years now, the day for the Meet of Champions, decided upon by officers of the RGVCCCA, all of them from schools in the Upper Valley, has been set for the same date as the BISD meet, and neither side appears willing to budge. The end result is an anticipated reduced field for each meet.
“Since they tried to take our (BISD) date for the Meet of Champions, we (Brownsville coaches) have kind of stuck together and said we weren’t going to move (the date of) our meet,” Brownsville Veterans Memorial coach Jorge Medina said. “(As a result,) Brownsville is boycotting the Meet of Champs, and I’m happy to stick with Brownsville. We all stand together, and I’m proud to be a part of that.”
Added Arturo Hurtado, Rivera’s coach, “I’m a part (of the RGVCCCA), and it’s a sad thing.”
Most, if not all, District 32-6A teams are expected to run at the BISD meet because it’s being held at the same site as the 32-6A meet Oct. 17.
The BISD meet has been moved from the BISD Encampment to Brownsville Sports Park at 8:30 a.m. Saturday near the soccer fields since some areas of the course at the BISD Encampment are still under water from recent rain. The 32-6A meet, originally scheduled at the BISD Encampment, now will take place at BSP as well.
Hurtado said varsity girls and boys will run 3.1-mile races. He said it appears Mercedes will be coming to the BISD meet and added the Tigers are probably the favorites to take the boys team title if they participate. He said Hanna should be considered the favorite for the girls team title.
Hanna’s boys and girls won last year’s team titles at the BISD Meet. Hanna’s Juan Uribe and Los Fresnos’ Jenny Zapata won the individual titles in 2013. Both have graduated.