Posted by 5Shelbie on September 13, 2009 at 9:34pm
Have you ever wondered what insane person created the sport cross country? I am in cross country and even I have thought about it, who would want to suffer running long distances. If you don't know much about xc here is what you need to know. Xc usually consists of a group of runners with only the first five counting towards the teams score. As a team you want as low of a score you can get. Whatever place you come in is how many points you contribute to the teams score. For example if you score eighth place you contribute eight points to the teams score.Cross Country dates back to the 1800's. It first started as a team sport at public schools in England. Back then they called the sport, "The Paper Chase" or "Hare and Hounds." One group of runners would lay down paper or other material to make a trail. Another group of runners would follow the trail. In 1873 at Rugby School the first competition race took place. Later they changed it so that the course was pre set across open land. Because the sport became to popular in 1876 the England National Cross-Country Association took place.The U.S. was introduced to the sport a year later. The National Cross-Country Association and the Amateur Athletic Association began. The Amateur Athletic Association started having a yearly National Championship. Not before long the Universities started notcing the sport. Harvard was the first University to have cross country as a sport in the U.S. England, France, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland were the first to compete internationaly. Cross Country finally was brought into the Olympics but, didn't last long because they felt it wasn't fit for the competition in the summer games. It did last as a part of the NCAA though and started national events.
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