Labrador Mountain

2005 Peter Courtwright Memorial GS

January 30, 2005

 

Then there were three.

 

One cannot overemphasize the importance in all of human history of the number three. We have three major divisions of time: past, present, and future. The angels cry, "Holy, Holy, Holy" to the holy trinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Greeks had three Fates, three Graces, three Furies, and of course a three-headed dog (Cerebus). Oak, ash and thorn compose the fairy triad of trees (it is said where they grow together is where the fairies live). In our natural world we have animal, mineral, and vegetable. Cajun cooking has its trinity of chopped green peppers, celery, and onions. In geometry three dimensions (length, breadth, and height) are necessary to form a solid figure. The triangle is simple, strong, and complete. Consequently three has come to stand for that which is solid, real, and substantial. Thoughts, words, and deeds can sum up all human capability. Not to mention the Three Musketeers, the Three Stooges, and of course the Three Amigos (Bock, Patane, and Webb).

 

But on this Sunday at Labrador Mountain's annual Peter Courtwright Memorial race the three that mattered most were the triumphant trio from Cazenovia: Sarah, Alex, and Barclay. Once again Cazenovia had the smallest team on the mountain, fielding just three of the 183 participants. Yet again they proved that it's not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of fight in the dog that matters. Although to be perfectly honest here if it really were a fight it would be good to have a really big dog with a really nasty attitude.

 

Cazenovia's racing team only participated in the J4 races this week. For the J4 girls Sarah Fellows moved up nine places this week with a 30^th place finish out of 43 racers. "Sarah was definitely one of the most improved racers out there this week. I expect her to get better and better as the season progresses", beamed head race coach Annie Lapham. Our other J4 girl racer was Alex "Double Jeopardy" Verbeck. Unfortunately Alex was only able to take one run of the mandatory two runs. "She'll be back next week and watch out!" Coach Lapham said in the post race press conference.

Ably demonstrating that team size is less important the ability and attitude was Barclay "Bode Miller" Talbot. Barclay finished in fourth place this week and remains in strong contention for a spot for the Central New York state team. Barclay was in fifth place after the first run, and then came back with the fourth fastest time in the second run. "Other people see the finish, the medals, and the fame" Barclay said. "To me it's about why you do something," he continued. "I can be stoked about winning a race, but really, it wasn't what I am trying to do. I'm trying to see how fast I could go.  It's about how good can I be."

Next week the race team travels to nearby Toggenburg for the area's premier patch racing event.