Cross country is hurting. Not hurt like Ralph Nader, who never wins anyways, or Al Davis, who deserves to lose. They’re frustrated. One year after what junior captain Dylan Peterson called “Garfield’s best season ever”, the team is getting demolished at meets, energy is non-existent, and worst of all, last year’s coach Robert Gonzales is gone. Two hours before the first practice of the season, Coach Gonzales called up Peterson.“He said, ‘I need to file some paperwork. Ms. Dowell will be the temporary coach. Hold the team together,’” said Peterson. “Five weeks later? No coach.”

No coach (Well, if you want to get technical, Ms. Dowell is the coach). The words linger uncomfortably like dew on a cold morning, but more because bitterness than despair. True, the team was loyal to Gonzales (“Great guy, even better coach,” said Peterson), and his absence has been felt, but the lack of response to the situation by the administration and school district has turned a team once filled to the brim with optimism into a group of cynics.

“We were supposed to have a coach in the first week of school, “ said junior captain Dylan Koutsky. “It seems like every week we were told Robert or another new coach would arrive.”

Gonzales, originally the Garfield track coach, was brought on to coach cross country last year. The resuts were immediate. Led by graduates Kris Brown and Dmitri Groce, the squad developed a previously unrivaled sense of camaraderie.

“Now everybody’s always talking about the ‘good ‘ol times’,” said Peterson fondly. “Last year was a foundation for a stable cross country program. And now it’s all falling apart.”

The noticeable absence of Gonzales has taken its toll on the morale. Sixty people signed up in August. Less than twenty have competed in races up to date.

“It seems every day there’s no new coach, somebody quits the team. You have no idea; SO many people have left, “ said Peterson.

“No one tries at practice,” said junior Spence Watson. “And no one likes practice. It’s terrible.”

Or, as senior Carver Low put it, “I’m not going today, or tomorrow, and I probably won’t go to practice on Monday either.”

It is natural to empathize with the runners, no matter how much they dislike cross country this year, because no one deserves to be put in such an unfortunate situation.

“We have potential, but no motivation and no determination. Everyone is down on themselves. The team wants Robert,” said Koutsky. “But from what I’ve heard, he’s not coming back.”

For the past week rumors that a new coach have been swirling amongst the team of a new coach.

“We were told that someone was hired two Tuesdays ago,” said Koutsky. “But so far we haven’t seen them at practice.”

At last, Nicole Petty, recent University of Nevada graduate and Garfield alumnus arrived on Wednesday to lead cross country for the remainder of the season. At Nevada, Petty starred in track; her accomplishments include a 6th-place finish in the 800-meter at NCAA’s. More importantly, she has received Robert Gonzales’ golden stamp of approval.

“If it was going to be anyone, he’s glad it’s her,” said Peterson.

Chaos followed last year’s promising season, so it’s great something positive happened to cross country. They got a real coach. They got a hold of Gonzales. And best of all, they recaptured a glimmer of hope.