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Beauty of third place in eye of beholder
Petaluma boys, Carrillo girls both finish on podium at cross country finals

By BOB PADECKY
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Published: Saturday, November 29, 2008

FRESNO

By their nature, expectations never track a faithful course, always leaving room for the
unexpected result, bringing an athlete to his knees or sending him leaping skyward in joy.
And so it was here Saturday, with the Petaluma boys sitting disconsolately on rocks, all
seven staring unemotionally at a pond, their dream dashed ... while the Maria Carrillo girls
celebrated with a mud fight with their coach.

Both teams finished third in their respective divisions Saturday at the 2008 State Cross
Country Championships. Sizable accomplishments, they earned podium appearances, medal awards
and ovations.

Ah, but not all third place finishes are created equal. For Petaluma it felt like a step
down, a consolation prize. For Carrillo it was a step up, a lottery moment.

“Immediately after we finished second last year,” said Petaluma’s Devin Lockert, “we began
thinking about this day, how we wanted to be state champs. We got together on June 12th to
begin practice. We trained every day, all of us.”

“I can’t believe this is happening!” said Carrillo’s Kelly O’Leary. “Oh my God! I’m still
in shock.”

Their reactions were made more dramatic by the moments that preceded them. As much as 25
minutes can pass after the end of a state cross country race before the team winners are
announced. Immediately after Petaluma’s race, a race official on the loudspeaker unofficially
announced Barstow finished first in Division III, with Petaluma second and Campolindo third.

“Campolindo beat us for NCS last week so it feels like we came out with a little victory,”
Devin Lockert said at the time. “Every cloud has a silver lining. Now, if we were to finish
third, behind them, well ...”

The possibility was too painful to elaborate. Lockert just shut down the thought. And why
not? Petaluma heard the Trojans finished second. For 25 minutes they were able to hold onto
the small prize.

Until about, literally, 30 seconds before the award ceremonies. The official results were
posted. Coach Jim Lynch turned and with a look of shock on his face flashed three fingers.
His runners stood dazed, bewildered. Campo finished second, had beaten them two weeks in a
row. Barstow, they could see; Barstow was that good.

But Campolindo? “This is going to smart,” Lynch said.

Contrast that to Carrillo. Minutes after its race, coach Greg Fogg said, “We’re probably fifth,
maybe fourth.”

There was no disappointment in his voice. Carrillo had been ranked fifth in Division III all
season. The Pumas thought about a podium finish,but the apparent result mirrored the expectation:
fifth place for a fifth-ranked team.

Until about one minute before the award celebration. The seven runners encircled each other,
jumping as one, hooting like party girls. Now it was time for Fogg to keep his promise. The
night before, he had told Pumas runner Jordan Davis he would take a running flop in mud with
her — for all to see — if Carrillo made the podium.

“And you can’t break a pinkie promise,” Fogg said.

With each alternately saying — “You go. ... No, you go.” — they eventually broke for the mud
with Jordan finding the it first, thanks to a little shove from Fogg. In a scene reminiscent
of an “Animal House” food fight, in two minutes mud was being slung by Jordan, O’Leary, Sarah
Thompson and Sarah DiRado.

The signature moment: Davis grabbed a chunk of mud in both hands and rubbed the goop on Fogg’s
cheeks, saying “You’re sooooo cute!” The girls will never forget the race,but the stories they
will tell of this day will begin with the mud fight.

“We overachieved,” Fogg said, “but I told the girls all year long they belonged in the top
three.”

In contrast, did Petaluma underachieve? Nope. The Trojans were 24 seconds faster as a team
this year than in last year’s state meet. The night before, Lynch gave them his last
motivational speech: “Absence of exhaustion equals failure.” He wanted them to run all out.
They wanted to run all out.

“All of them did and I am so proud of them,” Lynch said. It was the immediacy of the moment
that felt so heavy: Five of the seven runners were seniors.

“I plan to race collegiately,” said Cody Jinright, “but I can’t imagine getting any closer
to teammates than these guys. They are my brothers. I’ll carry this around for the rest of my
life. I know how special a moment this is.”

Jinright said that before he found out Petaluma finished third. Finishing behind Campolindo
didn’t feel that special. But it will after some time passes, when Jinright will see in
himself the same truth another third-place finisher saw Saturday.

“When I was standing on the podium,” Kelly O’Leary said, “I thought to myself, ‘I am so glad
I am a runner.’”

O’Leary could afford to allow herself to feel that euphoria, for the time was ripe for it.
The Petaluma boys, of course, didn’t feel it, but the time was ripe for them as well. They
are the first boys’ team from Sonoma County ever to finish on the podium in consecutive years
in state cross country. In fact, they are the only boys’ team ever to make the podium.

In other words, guys, it’s still not too late to throw Jim Lynch in the mud.

For more on North Bay high school sports go to Bob Padecky’s blog at padecky.pressdemocrat.com.
You can reach Staff Columnist Bob Padecky at 521-5490 or bob.padecky@pressdemocrat.com.

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