So many times at big invitationals, the teams that come with elaborate setups of busses with signs and tents provided by booster organizations end up getting run into the ground by us, or at least not living up to the hype. With that territory comes the T-shirt of the bad team that's really into it. The slogans are almost always generic and recycled about pain and how hard they work.
Anyone who is at all serious about cross-country is obviously going to give 100% during a race, and the people that are really serious and want to win are going to give 100% when they are training. In the end, it comes down to a combination of time, talent, and luck. Slogans are not included on that list. Of course, clever, original, or mysterious T-shirt messages, such as "SUDA" or "Ghost Team,"
should always be respected, but having run for four years, I understand that pain is a temporary weakness leaving the body, etc., etc., etc. This is a list of slogans that appear all too frequently.
10. Each morning in Africa a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle; when the sun comes up you'd better be running.
9. Pain is weakness leaving the body.
8. Pain is temporary. Pride is forever.
[OK, it can go on a girls' T-shirt.]
7. Unless you are the lead dog, the view never changes.
6. It's not whether you fall, it's whether you get back up.
5. The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.
4. Coming in second just means you are the first to lose.
[Uh....... [FON] No, this will definitely not ever appear on a SUDA T-shirt.]
3. Cross-country: finally a practical use for golf courses.
2. Champions are made when no one is looking.
[It's cross-country: no one ever watches anyway]
1. If you can't run with big dogs, then stay on the porch.
[In honor of Matt Welch]
Honorable Mentions:
Set your goals high, and don't stop until you get there
Cross Country: Agony of Da Feet
How's my running? Call 1-800-EAT-MY-DUST
[ Uh..... [FON] (In honor of Brandon Tung) ]
Chip and Pepper [What the sam-heck does it mean? In honor of Pat Dickinson]
A winner is someone who gets up when he can't
[Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. [biting sarcasm]]
The will to win means nothing without the will to train. [would have made the list, except that it's actually true and pertinent and a direct quote from a great runner.]
To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.
[It actually rings true, and the words of Pre can not be mocked, so even though this is terribly overused, it stays off the list.]
Since you're behind, how's mine?
Cross-country runners do it longer.... and have a kick at the end!
Pain Is Inevitable. Suffering Is Optional.
Cross-country is like poker: you always need 5 good cards.
[At SSA, we like to keep 14 up our sleeves. :)]