NewsAthleticsUpper School
Darlington/Berry run invitational
Sep 19, 2001 8:00 AM
By Stefan Eady - Faculty
The Berry-Darlington Cross Country meet ran very well- no pun intended. The event is the first and largest cross-country meet in Georgia each year. “It is considered the unofficial kickoff to the season,” said Ken Wempe, cross-country assistant coach, “Everyone is psyched to see who the best runners in the state are.” This year, over 100 schools and over 3,000 runners competed in ten categories of five kilometer races.
Darlington students, parents, faculty, and staff play a large role in the preparation and organization of the event. The meet director is Rob Davis, cross-country head coach. Helping him are over 30 volunteers to handle course monitoring, concessions, keeping times, and enjoying the race. “It’s a great spectator course to watch because you can see most of the course,” said Wempe. In addition, Mills Fitzner of K-98 Radio and parent of Darlington graduates Alex and Ana-Monroe Fitzner, provides a fun, festive atmosphere to the meet in his role of announcer and dee-jay.
“The computer expertise of Rick Buice, Stefan Eady, and Penny Braden is indispensable,” said Wempe. One advantage to this event is the computerized processing of times for both teams and individuals that allows participants to get results very quickly. The results are posted on the web as soon as the event is finished, and participants value this quick delivery.
The annual event is sponsored by Darlington and Berry College and held on Berry’s campus near the Ford Buildings. Runners enjoy the course and find it to be fairly accommodating, which contributes to faster times. The meet is sanctioned by the GHSA and the results can be used to qualify a team for the state championships in November.
Darlington students, parents, faculty, and staff play a large role in the preparation and organization of the event. The meet director is Rob Davis, cross-country head coach. Helping him are over 30 volunteers to handle course monitoring, concessions, keeping times, and enjoying the race. “It’s a great spectator course to watch because you can see most of the course,” said Wempe. In addition, Mills Fitzner of K-98 Radio and parent of Darlington graduates Alex and Ana-Monroe Fitzner, provides a fun, festive atmosphere to the meet in his role of announcer and dee-jay.
“The computer expertise of Rick Buice, Stefan Eady, and Penny Braden is indispensable,” said Wempe. One advantage to this event is the computerized processing of times for both teams and individuals that allows participants to get results very quickly. The results are posted on the web as soon as the event is finished, and participants value this quick delivery.
The annual event is sponsored by Darlington and Berry College and held on Berry’s campus near the Ford Buildings. Runners enjoy the course and find it to be fairly accommodating, which contributes to faster times. The meet is sanctioned by the GHSA and the results can be used to qualify a team for the state championships in November.
