What does a Cross Country starter do?
I thought it is someone who shoots the gun at the beginning of a race. I was right until I learn there is more to just firing a gun when I met Shane. Shane volunteers as a head starter for indoor and outdoor college level races including cross countries for the Pacific Northwest. So now when someone asks “What does a cross country starter do?” my answer is more elaborate. As a head starter, Shane comes early to the course to meet with the referee, meet director, officials and coaches. He checks with the timer crew and assigns recall starters with his team, discusses violation rules and arm signals. He walks the ground to make sure tapes are secured and helps around the course when needed.
Starters roles before a race starts
Before a race starts, Shane makes sure everyone is in position; the timer crew, camera crew, and course marshals. His starters make sure the athletics are in proper uniform and have their correct numbers on. Shane gives the race instructions after the athletics have lined up. With ear plugs on, he raises his hand and fires the gun to start the race. If there is a violation at the start, he will call them back and start all over. This is what he and his recall starters do; they look for violations at the start of a race and fire the gun for a recall.
NCAA Cross Country
Today is Division III Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Western Regional Championships at the Veteran’s Golf Course, Walla Walla, Washington. The sun is just rising when we get there and it is downcast and very cold. Luckily Shane is allowed to drive his car right up to the starting line so I can sit in the car and stay warm. Busses from colleges all over Washington, Idaho, Montana and Oregon start to arrive an hour later. There are over 600 athletics for the NCAA Cross Country Men’s and Women’s groups.
Tough People
The athletics are really tough people and I am in awe of their endurance to cold. Temperature is around 32°F (0°C). I am miserable while sitting in the car with a thick winter jacket on but they are in their shorts and tank tops! I walk out a couple of times to snap some photos and quickly run back inside.
Why Shane does it?
I ask him this question all the time. Why he does it? Today we leave the house at 4:30 in the morning for a 2 hours 40 minutes drive to the Veteran’s Golf Course. The cross country race ends around 10:30 in the morning and we are back home by 1:30 in the afternoon. He was cold throughout the race and it started to snow towards the end. In all the track meets he officiates, he and his starter crews are always on their feet, most times there is no toilet breaks. He lost his high frequency hearing many years ago from firing the starter pistol. His body aches when he gets home. He used to fly all over the country on his own expense 50 weeks a year before I came to live here.
Why??? Because he loves track and field. Shane has been an athletic and awarded a full scholarship to attend a university. He has been in this field for over 40 years. It is his way of giving back to this sports he loves. One day I am going to convince him to let me make a post about his achievements.
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