Girls Cross Country… Boys Cross Country… Are they really the same? An outsider would probably say so. However, the Ames High girls’ team is a pack of outgoing, wacky girls who just love to have fun. Almost every practice differs from the next. Whether it’s popsicles in the hot, hot heat, or coffee cake and bagels on a chilly Saturday morning – girls cross country fills the empty void in the life of a runner. Many boys might argue with the following: “Fantasy cross country rulz!” Why compete against each other? It only ends in disappointment and a loss of money. It’s quite sad, actually. Fantasy cross country is the only thing that keeps the boys going, as if they have no other motivation to run hard. On the other hand, the girls have thought of clever ideas such as treats from big/little “sisses” on meet days. Random packs of candy, boxes of cereal, and full plates of home-baked cookies roam the buses when everyone shares their goodies. The boys only try to steal them. When Coach Schmaltz rewards the girls’ hard, dedicated work with popsicles, some boys pretend to be nice just so they can bum a few as well. But we see through that… So why doesn’t boys cross country get delicious treats too? The answer may lie in their lack of coolness. Furthermore, the girls’ team stays fashionable every year with the sweats designed by the seniors. What do the boys have? A generic tee with a simple logo or something that looks like another Africa Trip shirt with a witty proverb on the back. Every Wednesday girls let out their inner divas by wearing eye-catching ensembles. Also, each year the senior girls pass on a superman outfit and three slacker jerseys, making girls cross country not only a team, but a sisterhood as well. One of the yearly spectacles that the girls have is the Tremendous Twelve. The team gets together at Perkins after a Saturday morning practice (one of the girls’ faves). Competitors order the Tremendous Twelve special, which includes pancakes, potatoes, eggs and bacon and race to eat it the fastest. Junior Autumn Thompson has finished the meal the fastest the past two seasons. Last year, her record time was three minutes and 30 seconds. “The key is to pick a plan of attack when racing. My plan was to attack,” Thompson said about her winning tactic. “Once you get past the pancakes, it’s golden, baby!” Thompson is also one to take advantage of Wednesday practices. She loves to imitate a personal trainer of the 80’s by wearing a shiny, purple swim suit, purple tights and lime-green shorts. Seeing such a character out by the tennis courts after school blowing her whistle and stretching, one may guess that it is Thompson. Also, the boys do not bond outside of cross country as the girls do. They don’t organize any breakfasts or fun runs. They don’t eat apples during practice, nor do they get honked at while running on the road because they’re attractive. They don’t dance around to hip-hoppin’ beats during track workouts. Do they do anything mildly amusing at all? Girls cross country brings joy to those who are in it. There’s always some silly quirk or a merry song being sung. Off-season, some girls get together and reminisce on the sweet bliss of the cross country days. As you can see, the best part of girls cross country is not boys, it’s the girls. Boys cross country isn’t nearly as eventful and will never exceed girls. It’s as simple as that.