PVCC Puma Press October 2002: Contemporary Culture

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	Photo By Kelsey Perry
	The PVCC cross-country team has been practicing for finals since June. Above, runner takes a cup of water during a meet.
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Paradise Valley's cross-country team competed against four other Arizona schools in their first meet of the season at Mountain View Park on Sept. 13.

Yavapai, Phoenix College, Mesa and Pima Community College were all included in the competition. The meet was a success as the Pumas out-scored all the schools but Yavapai. Although Head Coach Dave Barney is pleased with the wins, he holds them in perspective, insisting that the ultimate goal for the team is to prepare for the national meet in November.

"We don't back off," he says. "We train through these meets. Nobody's ever going to ask me how we did on Sept. 13, but they will ask me how we did in Nationals'nobody cares about anything but Nationals."

Nevertheless, Friday's meet was the first showcasing of what the team intends to do all year—to win.

Winning is nothing new for PVCC3s cross-country team. Returning sophomores Jose Campos, Joshua Robles, Kevin Deasy and Krysta Young were All American runners last year, and Krysta Young was the National Champion. Barney feels this year's team will continue that trend.

"We have two great teams," he says. "We train all year and plan all year to win."

He feels the team's early start and continual dedication has put them in a prime position to do extremely well at the national meet this year. Sophomore leader Krysta Young agrees.

"You have to have faith in what you're doing and trust in what [Coach Barney] says," she says, admitting she feels the pressure of returning as a national champion but adding, "What we do every day is helping me succeed."

This year's practice began officially on August 1, but the mile racking started back in June, six months prior to the national meet. Now, with Nationals at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas, just over a month away, Barney maintains his confidence. He is sure that when the teams walk into the National Junior College Athletic Association Cross Country Meet on Nov. 9, they will be fully prepared.

"We do things other organizations don't," he says, simply describing the events of the 6 a.m. practices. He accounts that aside from the obvious vigorous runs, which accumulate to anywhere from 65-85 miles for the girls and 85-100 miles for the boys a week, the teams also partake in a number of form drills and thorough stretching. Physically, Barney has left no room for error, but he also recognizes the importance of training the mind.

In August, he hosted a required, eight-hour goal setting seminar for athletes. He also demanded both the boys and the girl's teams to gather a list of team goals and perfect those lists until an agreement could be reached. In addition, he schedules meetings with each athlete individually to discuss personal goals. He hosts frequent "waffle nights" at his house, where he cooks waffles for the team and allows time for bonding. He even takes the teams on a two-day retreat at Hawley Lake, where they practice running and focus on team building and goal setting, Running on this years girls' team is Robin Feeley, Kassie Fronczyk, Jessica Helter, Molly Jacobs, Erin Kakavas, Jeanine Nesvik, Sharon Palmer and Krysta Young.

The boys team includes Jose Campos, Jeff Clement, Kevin Deasy, Gabe Lewis, Jorge Machado, Junior Michael, Daniel Moreno, Sal Patino, Benjamin Perkey, Joshua Robles, Jamison Rohner, Brandon Schmidt, Brandon Southall and Joshua Thompson.

As the teams prepare for upcoming meets and Nationals creeps nearer, one thing is for sure. This team will be ready.