When Elk Lake coach Will Squier heard that Scranton Municipal Golf Course no longer wanted to hold the District II cross country championships, he ran after the opportunity.
“Last year, the golf course informed the district that they didn’t want to have districts there anymore,” Squier said.
So, that is when Squier decided to contact District II cross country chairman Bill King, and suggest Elk Lake’s course.
“I think we have a great course here,” Squier said. “We have everything they need to put on the meet.”
However, after not hearing anything back for awhile from District II, and after Elk Lake had already set its school calendar, Squier didn’t think it would happen.
“I started to lose hope a little bit,” Squier said.
However, he decided to give it one more shot and invited King to come up and see the course. And then the week of Aug. 2, he heard back from King, who wanted to come see the course.
“He ended up loving it,” Squier said. “And the school board was kind enough to alter the school schedule.”
Elk Lake will have the day off on Wednesday, Oct. 27, because of the large amount of people coming from more than 20 teams in the district.
King said that he ended up choosing Elk Lake for the site because it fit the specifications for handling such an event.
He said that it had a nice range of uphill and downhill stretches, it was wide enough, and had a nice open starting area.
King also noted that Elk Lake’s campus is large enough for all the teams participating to set up tents.
“The venue is great for spectators and coaches to view the race,” King said. “I really liked what I saw.”
He noted that Elk Lake’s course is a fair course, and gives kids of all skills an opportunity to do well.
Squier said he believes that this is the first time a former District 12 school has hosted a cross country championship race.
“Hopefully it opens some doors,” Squier said. “We really want to do a good job.”
Squier said that he understands there may be some concern about the distance that some schools have to travel, however he feels it will be worth it.
“I think that once people get here and see the course it will be worth it,” Squier said.
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