Mr. Rankin’s Cross Country Day 2022

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Words: Will Downer

Photos: Karen Kitagawa, Rui Yu, Theo Brennan, and Jared Pangier

Videos: Theo Brennan & Jared Pangier

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The 2022 Cross-Country event, hosted by Mr. Rankin, was one of many steps on the path to recovery for the post-COVID Hokkaido International School community. For the first time in two long years, the whole community could safely gather and participate in an outdoor sporting event, uniting runners, walkers, and a supportive audience. And, for the first time ever, all high schoolers — P.E. student or not — had a place at the park, running in the competitive race or galavanting through our newest event: the Fun-Run.

For more on that, check out our recent post “We Are Huskies: Behind The Scenes of HIS’s First Fun Run”.

In preparation for the big day, the students taking P.E. classes trained and strengthened their bodies by exercising, running, and stretching in every P.E. class for the first four weeks of school to prepare for the competitive races. Mr. Rankin described the payoff: “It was great to see the final product after training for four weeks — the smiles on the kid’s faces as they crossed the finish line and the cheers of their peers and the feelings of pride throughout the whole event felt great.”

The running track, hosted at Makomanai Park, was 3 kilometers of paved running track, flanked by strikingly green trees rarely dappled with the orange-reds of approaching autumn. The park provided an ideal place for experienced and novice runners alike to participate in the event. Despite the anticipated downpour shown on the weather forecasts, the weather remained clear throughout the morning, allowing the sun to shine upon the runners, ready for the main event. As stated by Mr. Rankin in an exclusive interview on the day of the event, “Today was a complete, total success. Beautiful day here, lots of parents' support, lots of energy from the kids — great day overall.” 

When asked about plans for next year, Mr. Rankin replied, “Bigger and better!” Details of ideas and improvements for next year’s race showed that Mr. Rankin and the community are dedicated to rediscovering themselves through fun physical activity following the long tiring years of COVID-19. The 2022 Cross-Country event is just one of many first steps following the pandemic, as we all look to gain a new understanding of ourselves and the world around us by getting back out and experiencing the world.

During the Cross-Country Day, our Publications team used GoPros to capture each race, providing a glimpse of the experience of runners, walkers, and supporting fans. Check out the joy and excitement through the videos below, found on our official HIS YouTube channel.

 

Elementary Races + Mr. Rankin Interview

Middle School Races

High School Races + Fun Run