The VHSL State Cross Country Championships will be held at Great Meadows this coming weekend.
It is the fourth location for the state cross country meet. Great Meadows has hosted the meet since 1994. Virginia Tech hosted the meet in 1993, and before that the meet was held at Piedmont Community College in Charlottesville (form the early 70’s). The 60’s saw the meet hosted by William and Mary on a 2.4 mile course.
I am not sure where the few state meets in the 50’s and 40’s were held (that was even before I was involved in track) Perhaps that would be a good question for “ask Milestat”
Yes – I typed 2.4 mile course - in the early 70’s and 60’s the boys race was only 2.4 miles.
You may ask what about the girls?
The girls state meet was always on a 3.1 mile course. The reason for that
AAA girls first state meet was in 1979
AA girls first state meet was in 1980
A girls first state meet was in 1985
Great Meadows is probably the only state meet location that current runners have experienced in their lifetimes.
Most have never heard of a state cross country meet that didn’t have Milestat.com coverage.
But us oldtimers remember “Cardiac” and the state meet previews by Bill McDowell and his Virginia Track and Field / Cross Country News. The famous course at Piedmont Community College saw the start of cross country for girls. The meets were run by the University of Virginia coaches and results came on mimeographed sheets. Bill McDowell of the Fairfax Journal was the Brandon Miles of the 80’s and 90’s. His Virginia Track and Field / Cross Country News was our main source for results and only source for rankings.
I hope some more of the oldtimers will share some of their stories about the state meets at Piedmont.
And yes I am ancient enough to have been to the state meets held at William and Mary (though my coaching career did not start until the mid 70’s) (Classic meet won by George Watts and the trouble at the finish chute with Coach Cook) Please share some of the stories about the meets held there at Eastern State.
Here are a few pics to stir the memories of Piedmont Community College and Cardiac:
1981 AAA State Meet at Piedmont:
