September 9, 2005

by Ira Joseph, Philadelphia Inquirer

When Jack Heath ran cross-country for Gloucester Catholic in the mid-1970s, he and his teammates wore watches during practice. "Definitely, everyone had one," Heath said. "And regular students had them, too."

But that's not the case today, and it's something Heath is trying to change at Gloucester Catholic. He considers a watch such a valuable training tool that wearing one is a prerequisite to earning a varsity cross-country letter."When you don't have a watch, you don't have a sense of urgency," Heath said. In an age where elite runners use heart rate monitors and even global positioning systems, Heath was asked why high school runners wouldn't wear a watch."I always think of it as a fashion thing," he said. "They wear Lance Armstrong [Livestrong] bands, or before that a piece of thread."

A training schedule is another Gloucester Catholic staple, and one Heath provides before setting his runners loose for the summer. The athletes are on their own during the off-season, however, five or six optional practices were scheduled.Although injury prevented his girls from fielding a minimum scoring squad of five last year, Gloucester Catholic should be at full strength and full speed this fall. Sophomores Shannon McGowan and Rachel Busarello were two of the best young runners in South Jersey last year."They have been pushing each other," Heath said.They're joined by junior Erika Page, who is returning from a leg injury; senior Kellene McCall, a varsity swimmer who is running cross-country for the first time; and junior Catherine Kain, an strong runner back from last year.

The Gloucester Catholic boys also appear poised for improvement."I had a time trial on Saturday and they looked great," Heath said. Of course, they'd look even better wearing watches.