By: Dana Frain, Cambridge Parent

“Keep running!”

“You are almost there!” 

“Finish strong!” 

I found myself shouting these phrases at Cambridge’s Cross Country races this fall where 15 students from grades 1-7 ran against other independent schools in Baltimore. 

Cambridge’s mission to “educate the hearts and mind of children in both virtue and truth” happens beyond the school building on Sudbrook Lane in Pikesville. Half of the Cambridge student population participated in one of the many fall sports Cambridge offers: girls soccer, boys soccer, flag football and cross country. These students had the opportunity to learn how to compete, win, lose, be part of a team, cheer for a friend, and so much more. 

My 6th grade son, who is new to Cambridge, decided that he wanted to try Cross Country. It was a great way for us both to get to know other Cambridge families as we cheered each other’s kids on. 

I realized as I watched the kids run that success means different things to different kids. For some, it was an accomplishment to have the courage to run, for others it was to run the same pace as their friends, even if it was slower, to keep them company. Not every one of our runners was as fast as 7th grader Caden DuBois, who came in 6th place out of 215 runners at our meet at Jemicy, but that was okay! Fifth grader Kate Odell said, “I liked how everyone supported each other and it didn’t matter what place you came in.”

Interestingly, a few Cambridge alumni have pursued running in high school. Junior Brendan O’Brien is one of the top runners at Dulaney High School, and Jonathan Ellis, a senior at Towson High School, won the 600 meter race in the 2016 Baltimore County Boys Cross Country Championships.   

Jesse Owens once said, “We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.” 

Many thanks to the following teachers and parents who helped our Cambridge students work toward their dreams. First of all to our beloved PE teacher, Bill Toole, for coordinating all of the fall sports and also to the following parents for coaching: Mike Donohue (boys soccer), Jeff Marshall (girls soccer), David Kelly and Dave Linthicum (flag football), and Laura Linthicum (cross country). 

If you missed watching a fall sport, be sure to attend a boys or girls basketball game this winter. 

Go Lions!