THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, October 27, 2017
ASKS | from page 4
A: Things are going very well. I would say we are right on time. Q: How many meets have you had? And how many do you have scheduled? A: We have had a generous amount of six meets [four away; two home at Breakheart] to date, having faced eight teams [two of the six were trimeets]. We next travel to Stage Fort Park in Gloucester, Thursday, October 26th, to partake in the Jim Munn Invitational then conclude our season at NEC [Northeastern Conference] meet at Brooksby Farm
the program right now will stay with it. The optimism is based on the ability to sustain ourselves moving forward. Q: Looking ahead to next year, how many kids do you hope to have signed up for the cross-country program? A: Retention is key. I’d like to say our number would nearly double. It would be realistic to see our numbers go to at least 40. We’ve had more in the past. Fifty was usually our annual norm, and I think our high was 60. Q: Any plans for programs after the cross-country season or during next spring and summer to sustain or build upon
leading up to next fall. Q: What kind of feedback have you gotten from the administration and the community about the revival of crosscountry at the Belmonte? A: The School Committee – Jeannie Meredith, Linda Gaieski and Elizabeth Marchese – have publicly expressed their support. They have been on board with this since Day One. And they have all personally given me well-wishing and have extended themselves in whatever they could do to move this forward. Q: What do you stress as the benefits of this program to kids who might be interested in cross-country? A: I played and coached in many youth sports. It’s great to play amongst your friends, but scholastic sports is a different thing: to represent your school is special and it’s a great honor. I think introducing scholas-
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tic sports to young athletes is ball player or baseball player, a wonderful thing. And they it’s great to cross-train. Q: Can kids still come out for can get into shape. It may not be their number one sport, but whether you’re a basket-
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THE BELMONTE MIDDLE SCHOOL BOYS’ CROSS-COUNTRY TEAM: Left to right, back row: Alan Silipigni, Michael Sarro, Chase Ledbury, Cameron Zabroski, Owen Keefe and Dominic Wadland; front row: Dominic Coco, Nathan DiPesa, Ryan Jones, Alejandro Ortega, Luca Salzillo and George McGovern. Andrew Belyea is missing from photo. (Courtesy Photo to The Saugus Advocate)
in Peabody Wednesday, November 1st. Q: How have things worked out in the meets? Have you won any? If not, do you have any promising runners who have done well? A: It’s a very competitive league. We have a young team. We just don’t have the depth to look at outcomes right now. We’re just trying to get experience. But we have seen enough of the teams to know that Chase Ledbury is one of the best in the conference and statewide. He’s finished first in a few of the meets. He’s an eighth-grader. We also have two girls who are top runners for us, too: Victoria Quagenti and Maria Limbanovnos. They have distinguished themselves as our top runners and competed at a high level. They’re both eighth-graders. Their talent has set them apart. Maria has acclimated herself well for someone who is new to the country. Q: So, as you reflect on this season, have you met the program goals you set? And are you optimistic about next year? A: I haven’t given it any thoughts, as we are still focused on the season. As far as being optimistic about the future, I am. The kids who are in
the interest in the program? A: We’re going to look to pilot a program at the elementary school level this spring, like a morning running club – this would be for the fourth and fifth graders. We were hoping to do it coinciding with the fall season – things kind of got tabled for the spring – then there will be multiple options for all ages in the summer months,
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