The Long Green Line

The dynasty Newton built at York established him as arguably the most successful and best-known cross-country coach in the nation. His teams became known as "The Long Green Line," an apt moniker coined by a sportswriter who regularly witnessed York's dominating performances over Chicagoland cross-country courses. He told Runner's World before the celebration that a strong and caring coach-athlete relationship had been the key to his success. "You know," he said in reflecting on more than six decades of coaching, "kids are basically the same as they were in the old days. They're terrific. And if they know you care about them, they'll do anything for you. That's the important thing in coaching-it isn't the system you've got, it's your relationship with your athletes." The crowd is gone, the cheers have stopped, and the equipment is stored away. The team is standing on the field because the coach is leaving today. He led them through the hardest times, and was proud the times they won. But now the season's over and his time as coach is done. The team will go on without him, will perform at the usual pace. But though another coach comes in, there'll be a void in this place.

Today when the field is emptied and the team has met the test, The coach can feel certain that he will be remembered as simply the best.

Anyone who has ever run cross country in Illinois knows about the legacy of the York "Dorks", or should I say Deacons? My dad ran against them 35 years ago, and I ran against them 5 years ago. They consistently have a great program led by one of the best coaches. After tragedy strikes the team, will they be able to make it back as the front-runners of the Illinois High School Cross Country Scene?

This movie dives into what cross country really is, a team sport. It shows the importance of chemistry, as well as having some decent shots of cross country races. Hard work and training pay off, as well as team chemistry being the glue that holds everything together. This film will stick with you. Really cool to see a documentary about a sport that I love