By Michael Newman

I was sad to find out earlier this month that the Charger Classic hosted by Aurora Central Catholic was cancelled for the upcoming 2017 cross country season. The meet had grown over the past few years in popularity at Aurora’s Oakhurst Forest Preserve. The 2016 meet had 64 teams competing. The meet was held towards the end of September the same weekend that the Palatine Invitational was held. It was a good alternative for schools that could not get into Palatine.

Enter Steven Bland who is the Coach of Harvest Christian Academy who won the IHSA 1A Boys State Cross Country Championship last fall. He would like to start a new tradition and a new meet on that weekend.

“Harvest Christian Academy has decided to pick up that meet date and host on our campus,” Bland said. “We would love to turn it into a very large, maybe one of the largest meets in this region.”

The school is located off Randall Road in far west suburban Elgin. The meet would not be held in a park or forest preserve which will be a plus for this meet. More and more schools have run into problems holding meets in locations like that from park districts and the county forest preserves forced to move the meet to a different location or forced to cancel the meet. Holding the meet on their campus could be a huge plus for the possibility of this meet.

The course is not lightning fast as the course at Oakhurst was. It is a good and fair course that would be beneficial to the athletes competing on it as well as a course that fans and parents will like. Harvest Christian Academy also hosts an invitational meet at the beginning of the cross-country season usually the first weekend in September.

“It’s three loops, one mile each lap and it is perhaps the most spectator friendly course in the state,” stated Bland. “There are hills but not like Veterans Acres in Crystal Lake. There’s about 800 meters of trails on each loop, wide spaces and tight spaces, 400m around a field and about 400 meters of running on the side of a road.  The whole meet is on our property and all roads near the course are shut down.”

The chance of running on this course could be an opportunity for some schools.

“We may alter the start a bit, to accommodate more teams,” Bland added. “It also will get us ready in preparation for hosting the IHSA Regional Meet, hopefully in 2017 but for sure in 2018.”

You always wonder if a school will step up and take over a meet. I am glad Harvest Christian Academy is putting forth the effort to get this meet done this fall. “Our goal for the September 23 meet is to grow it into a high caliber meet for all classes,” concluded Bland who does not have a name for the meet yet. “We are planning to run it just like the ACC Meet, a blue and gold division varsity race, a frosh/soph race and an open race.  We would love for it to become “the meet you must be at”.  With it being almost smack-dab in the middle of the season, we think it’s the perfect storm for our area.”

If there are any coaches or schools that are interested in competing in this meet, please feel free to contact Coach Bland at [email protected]