As the countdown begins and the excitement builds up, the whole team is packing and in less than 24 hours the trip of the season will begin. In the morning, the coaches office is piled high with bags and the anticipation begins. One period goes by, then two, and onto the bus we go. It is officially time for Rhode Island and the cross country team is eager to begin the trip.

The meet was held at Goddard Memorial State Park and it was a very big race for all runners. The course is fast and many of our runners hoped to leave with a new personal record. As the freshmen are excited for their first trip, it is also a bittersweet moment for the seniors as it will be their last. As said by Julia Kisilinsky, a member of the team for two years, “It’s one of my favorite weekends ever. I love how the boys and the girls teams come together and have some quality team bonding. We have some good times, have some good laughs, make some memories, and run some pretty good times at the meet. It’s lit.” Senior Captain Tara Mandel ventured on her last trip to Rhode Island this year: “Brown invitational is by far the highlight of Farmingdale’s cross country team. A very unique course, unlike no other I’ve ever ran at, outlooking the beautiful clear beach water. The four hour bus ride consisting of sharing snacks, stories, and great music. I don’t know what I’ll miss more, racing at this beautiful course or the memories I’ve made with a great group of people.” It is a sad moment for the team to see the seniors leave, but they know the memories will last forever.

The focus before the race is very important to the girls to achieve the times that they hoped to be running. This race is very quick with few hills, but the the best teams compete here making it a challenge to medal. The races are very exciting with good competition, which leaves each individual with a new goal time to run back at home. Jackie Hilbert, one of the captains in 11th grade, set a new school record on this course. She beat her own record leaving the time to beat at 19:27.

The trip came to an end with every girl on the team setting a new personal record and high hope of coming back next year to change their time to a new record. Coach, during her last pep talk, had us set our goals for a new record at Bethpage in aspiration of being All-County and breaking 22 minutes.