New tradition at Catholic High
It is 7 a.m. on a Saturday, and the Catholic High campus buzzes with energy. Students and faculty gather at the starting line, stretching and warming up, ready for the Rocket 5k. This run is special, however, because it marks the beginning of a new school tradition: the Rocket 5K Class Competition.
The Rocket 5K, a longstanding Catholic High tradition, tests runners’ grit and endurance over a challenging course that features demanding hills. This year, the class officers decided to add a new twist to the event by creating a class vs. class competition to boost student participation. “We wanted to find a way to get the students more involved in the event. We spoke to the class officers, and they thought a class competition would be a good idea,” said Mrs. Berry, Catholic High’s Special Events Coordinator.
The Rocket 5K Class Competition awarded points in two key categories: participation and performance. Students earned 15 points for registering, 5 points for showing up on race day, and a hefty 20 points for crossing the finish line. Each class also selected “class runners” who raced head-to-head for extra points. The first-place class runner won 75 points, second place earned 60 points, third place 45 points, and fourth place 30 points.
Every class had a heated debate on who should represent them in the competition. “If not me, it would have been Gage Bennett or Stephen Edwards. They knew I ran cross country, so they thought I would be their best shot,” said junior Ethan Hurtado. The seniors had the same sentiment, choosing Mick Kline, another track and cross-country runner. The freshmen and sophomores, however, did not have as deep a pool of cross-country runners to choose from. The freshmen elected Maddox Boelkens, who competed in cross-country last fall, and the sophomores elected Garrett Franzetti.
As the students and faculty gathered at the starting line, Brother Richard offered a prayer, followed by a trademark joke, and then the race began. During the race, two seperate battles were fought. One was between the seniors and sophomores over who would win the overall (and a donut party), and the other was between junior Ethan Hurtado and senior Mick Kline over who would win the race.
It was a heated race, only fair for such a gritty course. “The hills are treacherous and steep, and they can be really hard on the legs. Honestly, anyone who is able to finish the race is impressive,” said Hurtado.
As Hurtado and Kline rounded the final corner, it was clear that this race was closer than anyone could have imagined, even Hurtado. “I expected to get second overall since Kline had a far better 5k time than I did. However, I was surprised how close it was.” In the end, Kline won with a blistering 19:04, only six seconds ahead of Hurtado.
Kline won the battle, but he had to wait to see if he had won the war. While the sophomores’ runner finished fourth of the electees, they still had a massive number of points thanks to their large number of participants, keeping them alive and in the running.
A couple of days later, the officers announced the results. The juniors finished last (595 points); the freshmen finished third (675 points); the seniors finished second (1,010 points); and the sophomores won with an astounding 1,160 points.
The Class Competition brought in more students than ever before and infused the race with new energy and spirited competition. “It definitely helped with participation and attendance at the 5K. We had over 100 students participate in the event this year,” said Mrs. Berry.
The new tradition is here to stay. Start training now.
