On Saturday, Sept. 3, the Hinsdale Central girl’s cross-country team woke up early and braved the heat for the Hornet-Red Devil Invite at Katherine Legge Memorial Park. This was the first meet of the year, and the team left for the competition with high hopes for the new season.

The heat put a small damper on the anticipation of the first meet, since the temperature was in the high 80s. To combat the heat, the team members drank bottles of water as they waited for their turns to run. Coaches and meet officials stressed the importance of keeping hydrated in the heat, and remained on hand with cold water at the finish line. The heat didn’t stop the Devils; out of the 20 teams at the meet and a tiebreaker for first place, Central came in second.

The cross-country girls are excited about other things in addition to their strong start to the season. The team’s big sister-little sister program pairs underclassmen with upperclassmen runners, allowing them to bond and support each other.  “We just got our little sisters; it’s fun,” said Grace Cook, junior. “We give them cards and bring them snacks. We’re just like supporters. We’ve done this ever since I can remember.” Freshman Mackenzie Witz said, “I love my big sister, it makes me feel like I have another sister.”

Along with the little sister-big sister program, the cross-country team coordinates other activities. Mr. Mark McCabe, head coach, said, “we do a lot of other things too. We have team dinners and do service projects. This year, we’ve already volunteered for Feed My Starving Children, and are going to do a shoe drive. We try to do local things to help people in the community.”