Pass Christian honors Olympian Cory McGee and the 2009 State Championship team!
For Pass Christian High School, Saturday was more than a day of competition, but a day celebrating champions and an Olympian as the Pirate Track team hosted their Cory McGee Classic.
In their final meet before the postseason, the Pass Christian track and field team honored the outstanding career of the Pass Christian alum and Olympian, Cory McGee. Running around the entire time, not only did the athletes have someone to look up to, but an extra person coaching and encouraging them.
“I feel like I just love to see people reach their potential,” McGee said. “I think that I know they’ve been practicing and I know the coach is putting a lot into it, so that’s ultimately what I’m thinking about. I know you come out here everyday, you’re at practice, so give it everything you have when it’s time to race which is really what it’s all about.”
McGee wasn’t the only person present that was in their shoes just 16 years ago, but she was joined by three other members from the 2009 track and field team. This isn’t just a random team, but the first team to ever bring a team state title to the school of Pass Christian. This group did more than make school history. They fought through the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and losing a classmate.
“Going through anything with a team is really what sports are all about,” McGee said. “I feel like we look at that and we remember these moments where it shaped us into who we are. For me, it’s what I love about this sport. Having girls that I can lean on and we were in it together and I still have that today and I feel like it’s something that’s kept me in it for so long and what I love.”
It’s obvious that McGee loves it and she isn’t hanging up the spikes anytime soon, but the Pirates wanted to take time and honor her legacy while she’s in town with a plague that will soon be hung near the Pass Christian track.
“It’s funny because since I’m still running and I’m still competing I feel like I forget that there’s a lot to celebrate that has happened over the years, so sometimes I feel like that’s a part of the job,” said McGee. “I’m always thinking about the next thing. I’m thinking about getting faster and improving and running a PR (personal record) and representing the US and all the things that are still ahead, so sometimes I think it’s good and probably healthy to stop and look back. I’m really happy that Pass High is helping me do that.”
Congratulations Cory, and congratulations to the 2009 Girls 4A State Champions!
