Guelph Gryphons Cross Country Team show us the meaning of hard work and dedication
10 years is a long time in the life of an athlete. An average career for an athlete on a major league baseball, basketball, or hockey team is about five years. In some sports, especially high-impact sports, that length is even shorter. In 10 years, one could have conceivably initiated, peaked, and finished their career in their chosen sport. That’s what makes the Gryphons Cross Country team’s achievement so impressive.
For the last nine years, (eight for the men), Gryphons Cross Country has taken the championship title at CIS. Every year since 1994, it’s been a Gryphon standing proud, strong and exhausted atop the podium. On Nov. 5, the nine chosen men and women left for Newfoundland to fight to secure their 9th and 10th consecutive championship titles, respectively.
When I walked into the office of head coach Dave and assistant coaches Chris and Reid, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I certainly didn’t expect a finely-brewed cup of coffee and a story about how Reid almost set fire to their microwave the previous day. Once I’d introduced myself, it was down to the business of finding out just what it takes to create a team that is so consistently successful, and how they keep them performing at their best.
Chris is forthcoming with his thoughts on how the team has made it this far, and isn’t shy of their accomplishments. One of my biggest curiosities was how the support team managed to keep pushing their athletes, regardless of their position within the province or country. When you get to the top of a ladder, it’s easy to become complacent, and convince yourself that you needn’t try harder. Any mention of the phrase “good enough” causes Chris’ face to curl up in revulsion. The concept is completely foreign to him, the remainder of the support staff, and all the athletes that run with them.
This team pushes themselves right to the very edge. CIS championship titles are a side effect of a system that the coaches and assistant coaches have built to take their team further than any other Canadian Cross Country team. Recently, the team travelled to Wisconsin to become the first Canadian team ever to compete in NCAA cross country.
Chris describes the rigorous process of selecting potential new team members, and how exacting his standards are. It becomes all the more clear when I sit down with first-year student and women’s team rookie, Rachyl MacPhail. Rachyl is subdued and modest about her achievements. Even with my admittedly limited knowledge of the sports world as a whole, I know that being the most junior member to make the trip to The Rock emphasizes her incredible amount of trusted talent.
As Rachyl and I talk, it becomes clear that the coaches and support staff are doing something differently to make this team work so well. Rachyl explains that when she competed in high school, her times weren’t fast enough to make the cut for the Gryphons. However, the team – recognizing her great potential – called Rachyl to offer her a spot. As a result, Rachyl is driven by a never-satisfied want-to-prove environment, allowing her to strive to the expectations of coaches and teammates. That’s what the coaching staff sees as the glue that binds the whole team together: a hard-and-fast, unfailing, and uncompromising work ethic upheld personally by each and every member of the team.
Where to now for the Gryphons? Dave, the head coach, joins us, and he and Chris both praise the new facilities that the university has built to support the Cross Country team over the last few of years. In Chris’ words, they “went from the outhouse to the penthouse.” The picture Chris paints is of a team that has built itself up from nothing, and one that carries itself into the future on the concept that there is no such thing as good enough. When you reach the top rung of the ladder, you ask for a bigger ladder. If one doesn’t exist, you build it. The aim of these gentlemen, their fantastic support team, and their loyal and dedicated athletes is to turn Guelph into a school known for its runners, sought out, and heavily competed for by those that wish to turn their love of the outdoors and outdoor running into a fulfilling and successful athletic career. And they’re well on their way.