Few sports are permitted this kind of honesty. In other sports, "every game counts" and "you can't overlook anybody." But things work a little differently in the world of cross country.
Maybe it's because the sport has little fanfare. Maybe it's because runners are just naturally different from other athletes. But don't doubt that it's the truth; because while the Virginia cross country team would love to run well this weekend when it hosts the Lou Onesty Invitational, this meet doesn't really matter.
"It's definitely not the meet we're hyping up," senior captain James Atchison said. "We're looking more towards Great American [on Oct. 1] and Pre-Nationals [on Oct. 16]. But at the same time, we're still looking to do well here."
Hardly a ringing endorsement from Virginia's team captain.
Both the men's and women's teams will be short a few of their top runners -- because of illness, injury and quite possibly indifference. On the men's side, potentially four of the team's top eight runners could miss the meet. Kara Scanlin, a co-captain and top runner for the women's team, will also miss the meet.
All is not lost, however, for the Cavaliers. Will Christian, the team's top male runner and the meet's defending champion, will be running, as will junior transfer Jeff Eggelston and up-and-coming sophomore Alex Tatu. And on the men's side at least, there should be some healthy competition with powerhouses Ohio State and William & Mary scheduled to race.
"Even though a couple guys aren't racing, it's going to be strong team out there," Atchison said.
Senior captain Cheryl Carr and sophomore Angie Saterstad will lead a women's unit that enters the meet with as much potential as uncertainty.
"On the women's side, it's not quite so clear who's going to be in the front, who's going to be the number one runner, who's going to be top five," coach Jason Dunn said.
That fact remains, however, that this has the feel more of an exhibition meet than anything else.
"The one thing I will be looking for is ... our willingness to compete," Dunn said. "At this point of the season, I'm going to evaluate more on the process than the result. I look at how we handle ourselves, how we manage ourselves throughout a race, more so than where we finish. We know we're going to get better physically and be prepared to run faster later in the season."
The Onesty Invitational will be held at Panorama Farm, a privately-owned farm near Earlysville. Storms resulting from Hurricane Ivan could flood the entrance, making the property inaccessible by any means but swimming and possibly delaying or canceling the meet entirely.
You have to wonder, however, if anyone on the cross country team would really care.
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