On Saturday, October 5th, the Huskies woke up early and drove to Half Moon Bay High School, all the way on the coast. There, they attended the Artichoke Invitational, which is known to have one of, if not, the biggest and steepest hill on a cross country course. 

Although our team didn’t place the best, many of the Huskies set personal records on this 2.3 mile course, using the mental toughness they’ve gained in the hours of practice, in order to crush the vicious “Cougar Hill”. Adrian Andrade, a senior and a captain of the team, stated, “Cougar hill genuinely made me want to quit running up and start walking, during the uphill my legs felt like they had absolutely no power left in them and I was paranoid that they would give up on me on the way down.” This hill tests every competitor, they run at a 40 degree angle with an elevation increase of around 100 feet.

Other hardships faced were having to wake up early in order to make the bus. The huskies had to be there by 5:15 am so they could make the nearly two and a half hour drive. Alessandro Pimintel, a junior and the teams #3 runner, said, “I don’t like waking up early up so I brought my pillow and blanket and I slept great on the bus.” It’s always important for athletes to get enough sleep to perform their best since some of them decided to attend the football game the previous night.

One of the things that the athletes look forward to was the beach trip after the race. With the cold ocean water, plenty of food, and people to hang out with, the teams camaraderie was at an all time high. Not until Supercross will we know the Huskies mindsets and determination, the result of how Cougar Hill affected them.