There are no big plays, no big hits, no juicy hot dogs and cups of beer. Instead, there are dozens—sometimes even hundreds—of competitors to keep track of on a course that is probably long, hilly and annoyingly spread-out.
The only thing giving cross country even the smallest iota of entertainment value is…the shirts.
Clever t-shirts have been making long distance running more exciting for competitors and spectators alike since Stop Pre.
Over the years, I came up with quite a few designs of my own, although they never seemed to catch on with my coaches or teammates, presumably because they were sort of counter-inspiring.
For example:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_d214JxTgu-PrMXv3ffmbnfLPrGmoja-yN1Drp_2BbzwC_krfD8iwIyrxuiVapvJRHhroWGC6t9-fqdjUgLbOJ50TciQDoU8GujCFrZEZ6Vp2pEOT7IXuKHd-haG5skslCW-UyVGBuQ/s400/venntshirt.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg939kKi49iEOZc7ETgzcwyFa0g7-OGFkheN0mUTbNYdmtTHcOnEIIMBJeptaNJMMU908g5hitJIVoslb47zaj2Rj0wBjvlK4DgCekR7AY1IcTMziglXpwIYR_YJkvwzwc0auicIWVuqbU/s400/soccer.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQT7EWapEqlgJhfaUavP7yCGTMOfJLILMMX1_Ib5SVH9MpSe-DEiN_pYOdCVMqgRU55uQBVqxz4E-RjvM0se2SrBegRuy-V3fG1hQmNAWeUUl-en1aGBVCZ8_Hgrjh20aiaGLcMI54ac/s400/soulshirt.jpg)
The problem is, my humility, coupled with my not-so-secret disdain for cross country, made it difficult for me to come up with catchy, positive phrases that would help build team confidence.
But when I was listening to the radio in the car the other day, I realized that during my competitive racing years, I had completely neglected a potential gold mine of ego-pumping wordage: pop artists.
Of course! Is there anyone more arrogant and self-absorbed than a young modern music star? I could just jack some lyrics, slap them on a t-shirt and…voila! Here are some of the samples I’ve cooked up so far:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihqhKmYhRWTd3ut8HQGy5xEZ0bmkQk4tiHHIizIc03QgeXCuGmOeBWWJC-uoVy9QXmA8kwURKEEfSXuWqWhZJ46pon0lOfDkpBi9VxaC_nGiN3aZYmOjOhIjueAYjuizYWb-qH0m28Xqs/s400/jagger.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxyBuED9qxb02So4YMwU91sBAYSyzzdtwqdqOSyPjYKwdqx0cJDL1tjrlNFkW_NxzjDsZdgUiZZ-qOGGtT135AAl9lddE3jV2MjfUxdIDuJMNgfSeiUu8vXhMuVMs7yQUTVD-2GftLhZY/s400/goldtrack.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiiDgzhNRe1CcyS210Ef48JzL2OKNTVZ8HbSfFjefd_1gziEoeeHVG9sQCOMwUYvyuhpU0fe-Vo7WDTiXTCJutFqEHgEk1GUyQ7uSJYlkkcXsBYfti2JuYTo85BL2SQNj8wJka5z10O3Q/s400/popsicleshirt.jpg)
Orders can be sent to my email address.
I still itch to go and watch xc races! Even if I don't know anyone. Same with track...it gets in your blood! Love the shirts, and I like the top ones cause they are more "real." miss you!!!
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