Dear Athletes, Coaches, and Fans of Cross Country,
First of all, I would like to congratulate all the athletes that competed in
the N.C.A.C. Championship at Preston High on Wednesday, October 12th.
As a coach and a fan of cross country, it was exciting to witness such a
high level of competiton. Special
congratulations go out to the North Marion Huskies for winning the boys team
title and the Morgantown Mohigans for claiming the girls title. Individually, Kerri Bland of
The feeling of being part of such a great event quickly vanished at the
conclusion of the meet when our recently completed "Wall of
Honor" was vandalized. The "Wall of Honor" designates the
entrance to our track complex and is a way to recognize Preston
High track and cross country athletes that have won state championships or
finished as state runners-up.
Ironically, Darrell Cavey of www.westernmarylandrunning.com
was covering the NCAC Championship and took the following pictures prior to the
start of the meet.
IMAGE #1 - http://www.westernmarylandrunning.com/tn_IMG_0278.JPG
IMAGE #2 - http://www.westernmarylandrunning.com/tn_IMG_0276.JPG
IMAGE #3 - http://www.westernmarylandrunning.com/tn_IMG_0277.JPG
Specifically, the "&" symbol was stolen from the "Track &
Field" portion of the wall. The letters are constructed of cast
aluminum and cost approximately $50.00 per letter. Though this might
seem like a trivial issue, the athletes, coaches, and parents of Preston
Track / X-Country feel that this is a "slap in our
face".
Unfortunately, this is not the only issue of vandalism, theft, or
unsportsmanlike behavior that has occurred at our meets in 2004 and 2005.
In addition to the theft of the "&" symbol, a large pile of brush
was placed in the path of the woods section of our course during the NCAC
Championship. Luckily, we lead our races with an ATV and the obstacle was
removed before it interferred with the varsity girl
runners. During the 2004 and 2005 Mountaintop Combo we have had three
signs stolen (1- 2003 State XC Champion Sign and 2- "Hillacious"
Signs).
I am personally offering a $50.00 reward to anyone that has information that
leads to the return of our property. In the spirit of athletics, we are
willing to not press charges if we are notified about the whereabouts of our
property by midnight on Sunday, October 16th. Beyond this date, we plan
to involve the local law enforcement agencies and prosecute to the fullest
extent of the law.
Sincerely,
Coach Paul Martin
email - phsrun@hotmail.com
mobile phone - 304 290-3772