The CHSAA Intersectional championships began for the boys back in 1927 nine years after a pandemic devastated the world and two years before a stock market crash brought a similarly grim global disaster. While intersectional events for other sports bodies were ended ninety years ago, the CHSAA forged on, and now in 2020 in a year of tribulations, the CHSAA boys will be running in their 94th straight championship and the girls will be holding their 47th, exactly at the halfway point in league history for the boys and girls titles.
This year has seen huge amounts of turmoil, but CHSAA administrators have fought through the obstacles of a late start and limited schedule to bring about a championship that should be competitive on both the boys' and girls' sides. Yes, times and speed ratings are well down this year as would be expected in an abbreviated season with so much uncertainty dogging the turnout and training for all teams, but the series of races at Van Cortlandt Park starting with a Girls JV race at 9:00 Saturday morning should be some of the most exciting ever. If nothing else, there will be a big sense of relief and a mass amount of thanks that the fall has culminated with the runners toeing the starting line and diving for the finish.
Team strength levels and the status of rosters are a lot more fuzzy this year. There are a few runners who have not been in an invite in a month but have still only missed one of their team's meets in this foreshortened year. The previews include all of the team's top runners who earned a speed rating during the year, and the numbers used are the runner's top mark for the year rather than the average that is usually employed. With so few marks to go by, we are just naturally assuming that all the runners will perform at peak level since for most of them this is their last race of the season in a year without Federation or Nike or Foot Locker regional meets.
To avoid having too dense a line of runners on the starting lines, the varsity races have been divided up to include just nine or ten teams at a time. The boys will have three different A-B-C championship races for teams at different levels, while the girls will merge their results from their A and B races. If you are part of the spectator contingent at VCP on Saturday, please remember to wear a mask and do social distancing. Park rules require fans to stay at least 50 yards from the finish behind the blue and white ribbon markings. You are also required to be very loud both when the runners are heading out and finishing up.
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