It’s been a week but we still want to offer congratulations to area runners who competed at the state high school Cross Country Championships last Saturday.

Seneca East finished third in the team competition and Hopewell-Loudon was fifth in the Division III girls’ meet.

The Lady Chieftains’ Carime Reinhart finished second individually, The Tigers’ Kristen Elmlinger was ninth and Stephanie Phillips 23rd. The three each made the Division III All-Ohio team.

In the boys’ Division III, Hopewell-Loudon’s Craig Reinhart finished 19th and Fostoria St. Wendelin’s Josh Souder was 22nd to earn the title, All-Ohio.

Another story that’s a week old but on which I feel a need to comment is the World Series thriller between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the New York Yankees.

Of course, my enthusiasm is boosted by the fact that the Diamondbacks won the title … I would have rooted for whomever played against the Yankees.

But, regardless of the outcome, what a show that was. The ninth inning dramatics, the individual stories and heroics made for one of the most exciting events I’ve watched in a long time.

One story which is not a week old, in fact has been ongoing and will continue for some months, is the Volvo Ocean Race. Tomorrow, the eight ocean going yachts will start out from Cape Town, South Africa and head for Sydney, Australia on the second leg of the race.

Some have had 18 days in Capetown to rest and repair, including first leg winner Illbruck Challenge. Others, like Amer Sports Too, have had just eleven days.

Ilbruck finished the first leg on October 24th, followed a few hours later by Amer Sports One. Amer Sports Too, with an all female crew, slid in to dock early on Halloween morning, in last place, but eager and proud with having finished the longest leg of the race.

Observers say that most arrived with no significant damage. There were some internal disputes and on the fifth place boat, they changed skippers. So the teams spent their time restocking supplies, doing preventive maintenance and practicing.

This is, of course, the off-season for most of us sailors until things warm up. If you’re looking for a new way to have fun with wind and water next year, there’s a new sport which may be right for you.

It’s called kite sailing or kite surfing … take your choice. It’s said to be attracting windsurfers, wakeboarders and small-boat sailors.

It started back in 1982, when Corey Rosseler developed a delta wing kite and learned how to steer it to pull him over the water on skis.

Some of the problems which cropped up have been solved. One of the most important was the invention of a way to cause the kite to collapse and drop when the operator fell and let go.

The next was design of a steerable and floating board. Skis just didn’t stay up if the wind was light.

The third step was creation of a kite which can be relaunched from the surface of the water .

Kites and boards will cost about $2000 to start. There are inflatable kites, probably better for beginners. They are less powerful and more forgiving and, since they are inflated, are easier to get into the air from the water’s surface.

Then there are ram-air kits, which are made rigid by wind which enters their air chambers to give rigidity. They are powerful and maneuverable but a little harder to launch if you already are out on the water.

Is it June yet?