Grammar Gazette- Issue 2, 2013

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CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPS: 20 years of QGSSSA wins

ARTICLE

GEORGIA MURPHY, 2013 CROSS COUNTRY CAPTAIN

AUTHOR

enormous pressure that could have been placed on the cross country team to uphold such an exceptional record. Outside of the immediate cross country community, winning was just expected — demanded almost. In our ranks, as we raced up hill and down dale, through mud and mist, we grew strong in the knowledge that this was a challenge we could face — and it was a challenge we wanted to win! While I have no doubt that the entire School community would have been just as supportive if Girls Grammar had succeeded to gain second place, the relief and joy I felt when we secured our twentieth consecutive QGSSSA crown was overwhelming. I will never forget the ecstatic faces of the entire team — coaches and parents alike — and the palpable excitement in the atmosphere as we celebrated the win with war cries, cheers and many, many photographs! That day, for me, stands out as a clear highlight of Year 12 — and one for my entire high school career. While the win topped off the entire experience, the sense of community and achievement within the team shone brighter than the closely guarded QGSSSA trophy. Cross Country 2013 was an unforgettable, sweaty journey but the QGSSSA Championship made every grassy early morning, hot afternoon meet, exhausted tear, crushing disappointment and painful injury worthwhile. This season was an irreplaceable, magical experience and I hope everyone else had as much fun as I did. And here’s to the next twenty years… and the next… and the next!

IN 1994 MY PARENTS GOT engaged, and in the same year Brisbane Girls Grammar School’s Cross Country team initiated a twenty-year winning streak. They must have known that one day I would be the Captain of the team to win the twentieth consecutive title!! Twenty years is a significant age for anyone, not in the least for a record. Ever since I naïvely strolled into Victoria Park five

years ago for my first training session, cross country has been an integral part of my Girls Grammar experience. Back then, I thought warm-up jogs were a race, forgot my water bottle, asked the coaches countless questions and often got lost! But, despite my numerous irritating habits, the older cross country girls were always welcoming and supportive. Cross country helped me to make lasting friendships in a fun, inclusive environment away from the purely academic social sphere. I soon realised and respected the importance of the legacy of the QGSSSA victories —we were already at 15-in-a-row by 2009. The support from the entire cross country community helped me and every other girl to do our very best for the good of the entire team, as well as for ourselves. I had always been in respectful awe of the cross country captains and marvelled at their apparently calm, organised demeanours. When I was elected to be the 2013 Cross Country Captain for the (insert intake of breath here) possible twentieth QGSSSA win, I was aware of the

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