Reflections on All-State Meet and All Season

Here is a Q & A With Swampscott cross country coach Jeff Bartlett on Saturday's All-State cross country meet at Franklin Park in Boston, and on the season.

1) What is the Franklin Park course like? 

The course at Franklin Park is a solid mix of grass, dirt, and rolling hills. It can be a fast course if it's raced correctly. The multiple loops on the course makes it spectator friendly, and makes it easy to break down the race into separate parts. It's a great venue, and we're lucky to have a course like Franklin Park so close to home!

2) How is running at the All-State meet different than running other races?

The All-State meet features the best teams and individuals from across the state: Eastern, Central, and Western Massachusetts. The competition is the highest you're going to get within the state during the year. It's a great opportunity to run against some excellent teams and runners. We went in there with the mindset of enjoying ourselves and seeing what we could do. The boys were just happy to be there, and to have the opportunity to test their mettle against other runners. I talked with the boys about the long line of Swampscott harriers who have come before them, and the long line that will be coming after them, and that they were part of a Big Blue Line that stretches far backwards and infinitely forward. We wanted to make sure the boys acknowledged that they are part of an excellent tradition, and that their races weren't just for them, but for everyone associated with Big Blue XC: past, present, and future.

3) How did the Swampscott kids do at the meet?

We ran well at All-States! We were able to beat one of the teams that beat us last weekend at the Eastern Mass meet. As a team, the boys came in 10th out of the 19 team field. Remember that each team there had to qualify, so there were a lot of teams who weren't toeing the starting line Saturday. Peter Hale came in 10th overall in the Division II race, which I think surprised even him. To come in the top ten at the All-State level is an awesome accomplishment and his time put him about thirty seconds behind the top pack of runners from either race, so he's emerging as a top state-level runner. Nicholas Hartmann and Matt Mahoney both ran faster this week than we did on the same course at the Eastern Mass. meet. We had a tighter spread between Nick and Matt, which helped keep our point total low enough to stay in the top ten for the team scoring. Ryan Kelley, despite having what he termed an off-day, still ran faster than he had all last year or the years before on the course. When a "bad day" is only ten seconds off your course best, that's a good thing! Sam Crimmins also ran his best time on the course, and having seniors Trevor Whelan and Matt Nardiello in the race helped displace other team's runners. It was a great time with some excellent cross-country weather. All in all, it was a great way to end the season.
 

4) Is this it for the season? When is your banquet?

We are formally done with the season, although a few runners will be going to Long Island this Saturday to race in the Foot Locker Regionals. There are races based on class year, and the seeded race will have individuals vying for a spot to Foot Locker Nationals, essentially the national championships for cross-country. Our kids aren't going there with that goal in mind; they simply want to race and gain some competitive experience. We'll be having our banquet on December 7th at the high school.
 

5) What went well this year?

The best part of the year for me was having all 75 kids run seasonal or lifetime personal bests on our home course by the end of the season. We had some kids who came in with no running experience. Through hard work and patience, the improvements came. It was nice to see how the teams came together, and how welcoming they were to the other runners. Every single runner has a place on this team; our team philosophy has morphed into the phrase, "You Matter." The team received a ton of support from the administration, from the community, the parents, the faculty at SHS, etc. Obviously the boys were happy with their record and post-season performances, but you can't measure your season based on records. Our girls were in the mix the entire season, too. I really view it as one big team though, because what I thought went really well was how the two teams supported each other. You know, we coach them the same. In any given workout or on any given distance run, you'll have the boys and girls mixed in running with each other.
 

6) What would you have done differently?

 I think I would have focused more on getting some freshmen out for the team. There were so many things to take care of those first few weeks, and not being in the school is tough for that. I'm going to develop a plan for that next season, and get the captains/seniors involved.

7) Was it difficult to take over a program that was run so well by Dom and his crew?

I think everyone was a little nervous as the season began, but I just focused on being confident in what I could do. I have a lot of respect for Dom as a person and a coach, and for what he's done with the program. My whole mindset going in was the past was the past and the only thing we needed to focus on was the future. Joe Tenney made my transition pretty seamless, as did the XC/Track Boosters and support from parents.

8) What are some of your favorite things about being the Swampscott cross country coach?

It's tough to pick! The kids on the team make my job so much easier because they want to be there. I love going to practice everyday. It sounds cliche, but it's the best part of my day! Swampscott is a lovely little town with a great sense of pride about their school. I get excited when the kids get into what they're doing, and learning about all the activities they do outside of cross-country, too. We have a well-rounded team! It's a nice thing to see the kids grow and mature as individuals, and I'm looking forward to seeing them do so over the next few seasons! There's a real sense of tradition and pride with cross-country in Swampscott, and I'm fortunate enough to be included in that Big Blue Line.