Cross country is something that I think about a lot, so it is natural that it sometimes slips into my dreams. Once I dreamed that I beat Rohann, which made waking up an unwelcomed occurrence. But the best cross country-related dream was one shared to me by my good friend and teammate Richard Qiao.
In Rich’s dream, he imagined the Chancellor confrontation scene from Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (the link is below).
In the place of each of the characters was a different cross country runner. As he described it, Richard Montgomery star and 4:19 miler Mark Unger (3rd at our county championships) was Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious, I was Jedi Master Mace Windu, and Whitman’s Aaron Bratt (7th), Northwood’s Obsaa Feda (4th, and Quince Orchard’s Chris Thoms (12th) were the other Jedi who were with me. The events in the dream paralleled those from the scene- Unger easily defeated Bratt, Feda, and Thoms, but I engaged him in an epic duel. As Windu does to Palpatine in the scene, I knocked Unger on his back and had him defeated. But rushing to Unger’s aide was his teammate, freshman indoor mile champion Garrett Suhr (6th), who slashed off my arm and forced me off the window.
That was an interesting dream, and though I hope I am not forced out a window by Garrett Suhr in the near future, the idea of Star Wars and cross country got me thinking. In preparation for Saturday’s state championships, these are the major names in MoCo cross country reimagined as Star Wars characters.
Mark Unger as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader– Unger’s unmatched speed and strong endurance make him the most powerful in the cross country universe.
Garrett Suhr as Luke Skywalker– Suhr is as talented as Unger, just younger. He could save the galaxy or destroy it.
RM Coach Rogers as Chancellor Palpatine- The mind behind RM’s two All-County honorees, he seems to have a pipeline of runners strong with the force.
Rohann Asfaw as Snoak- He may be in Virginia now, but the presence of Rohann still lurks.
Joachim El-Masry as Jango Fett– Like Fett, El-Masry is always up with the top guys at the beginning of races. He also has sisters who were top runners on the girls team, supplying the Empire like Fett’s clones.
Adam Nakasaka as Yoda- Size matters not in cross country. Nakasaka, the 4A State favorite, is wise and powerful and can take on any runner.
Ryan Lockett as Kylo Ren- There’s no denying Lockett’s talent and his kick is the equivalent of the Starkiller Base laser.
Abigail Green as Rey- Like Rey, Green is a phenom and is remarkably strong with the force.
John Riker as Obi-Wan Kenobi– I don’t summon as much of the Dark Side (track speed) as some of the other top runners, but like Kenobi, I’ll hold my own in a cross country duel.
Obsaa Feda as Darth Maul- Two reasons- 1) Northwood’s red and black unis make Maul’s stripes seem perfect on Feda and 2) Feda’s memorable steeplechase jump seem reminiscent of Maul’s athleticism.
Simeon Mussie as Mace Windu– Windu channels the dark side in his combat form, while Mussie has experience as a top tier miler. Mussie has been consistent since his freshman year and competes with the best.
Aaron Bratt as Count Dooku- Powerful, yes, and he’s found success both on the track in the 3200 and on the course.
Chris Thoms as Jar-Jar Binks- There are rumors that Binks is a Sith Lord and Thoms has shown glimpses of being among the state’s best. But both also express a youthful exuberance and can make questionable decisions.
Peter Antonetti as Han Solo– He wouldn’t match up well against Yoda or Darth Vader, but Solo is dangerous and tests his luck. So does Antonetti, who broke 4:30 in the 1600 and starts up with the leaders in some of the biggest races in the season.
Zach Worthman as Poe Dameron- Zach’s a good friend and a tough runner, shown by his sixth place finish at the regional 4A championship as well as 2nd place in the Devil Run.
Nick Karayianis as Kit Fisto– Churchill’s top runner is also a top swimmer, so like the aquatic Fisto, Karayianis is a force to be reckoned with both on land and at sea.
Anna Sohn as Maz Kanata– I don’t expect Maz to be in any lightsaber battles as I do not expect Anna to be running in the boys’ championship race, but both have a shrewd knowledge of the force and have seen many great runners.
MocoRunning and Milesplit as R2D2 and C3PO– R2D2 seems to be everywhere and has a fantastic memory, like MocoRunning’s database. Milesplit’s rankings seem similar to C3P0’s random ramblings.
Riker's Block 