 |
| May 05, 2024 |
Welcome! Click here to Login
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Click to visit the
Official Town Site
|
|
|
|
|
|
General News: Aisling Cuffe Races to the Top
|
| Aisling Cuffe held the lead in the Northeast regional race in November. |
|
| In the last mile, she faced competition. |
|
| Aisling Cuffe talks about cross country. |
December 11, 2008
She is the fastest girl ever to run for Cornwall high school, but 15-year-old Aisling Cuffe doesn’t speak in lofty terms about the challenge that faces her as she rises through the ranks of national high school varsity runners.
This Saturday, Cuffe will be the first girl from Cornwall to compete in the National Cross County Championships in San Diego, California, and she is very calm and collected about the race. Her greatest challenge, she believes, is how she performs personally that day.
“The other runners are good, but they are no better than I am. We all have the same talent, it’s just who is the most determined on the day of race,” Cuffe said a few days before leaving for California with two of her coaches and her mother, Mary O’Hanrahan.
Cuffe says that whoever has the strongest will in the last half-mile of the race will win. She knows that first-hand, having been in the lead during most of the Northeast Regional Championship race in Van Cortlandt Park last month. “I was happy to be in the lead,” Cuffe said, “and I was just hoping I could keep it.”
Two runners caught up with her during the last mile and they stayed neck-in-neck for a half mile before the others pulled ahead slightly. Aisling came in third in that competition, beating the girl who won the New York State Championship. Cuffe came in second in the state race.
A year ago, Aisling had never competed in a race and had no idea what the future had in store for her. She had been on the cross-country team since middle school, but as a speed walker, not a runner. She said that no one paid much attention to her until last February when she had a chance to compete in an indoor race. Her performance caught the eye of her coach, David Feuer, who gave her more and more opportunities to show her abilities on the race course.
This fall the Cornwall varsity team won the Section 9 championship and Aisling placed as champion runner.
Aisling says that there is not too much technique to cross country running. Coaches tell them to watch their form, not relax while going downhill, and cut the corners whenever possible. Her mother says that she isn’t familiar with racing enough to give her daughter specific instructions, but she is happy to sit on the sidelines and yell encouraging words like “Go! Go!” or “Sprint to the finish!”
Coach Dave Feuer says that Aisling’s accomplishments are impressive, especially because she is only a sophomore with more than two full years to develop her competitive style. Feuer notes that in 1995 a boy named Mike Fitzula won the N.Y. State Cross Country Championship and he also qualified to compete in Nationals in San Diego when he was as senior.
Ashling says she has been surprised by how many people know about her success in cross country. She says she has found a new self-confidence as journalists clamor for her attention and students at school stop in the hallway to give her their support. Even if she doesn't win in Sunday's race in San Diego's Balboa Park, she will be back in training for the indoor track season and ready to compete again and again.
Click here for more about Aisling Cuffe's record and her training.
Click here to follow the race on the official Footlocker National Championship site .
Comments:
|
Congratulations Aisling! We're so proud of you! Good luck in San Diego. We know you will give it your all. God be with you. Always, Lana & Family
posted by Lana Beesecker on 12/11/08 at 4:11 PM
|
Add a Comment:
Please signup or login to add a comment.
|
 |
|
|
|
