On Saturday, Sept. 5, members of the Vashon High School cross-country team, along with some parents and community members, ran the annual ferry-to-ferry relay from the Tahlequah ferry dock to the north-end ferry dock.

Both the boys and girls teams are ready for a strong season.

Overall, the boys team, coached by Kevin Ross in his third season at the helm since longtime coaching legend Russ Brazill retired, has a lot to look forward to, Ross said — with a strong core group of guys ready to put pressure on the Nisqually Leauge and the rest of the district. The strength this year for the Pirates will be that the guys run well in a pack of five runners, which will help keep the overall placings down, Ross said.

The girls team is starting the season equally strongly. Six out of the seven runners on the team are returning veterans, building on an already solid base of both miles and team unity.

They are looking forward to testing their mettle at a home meet tomorrow against Orting and Steilacoom, said coach Laura Johnson. The event starts at 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10.

The course will be on the combined school grounds, with the start on a field near the football grandstands, winding through the woods of Chautauqua, looping around the soccer fields of McMurray and completing as it winds around behind the backstop of the Pirate boys baseball field. The course consists of two 1.5-mile loops, and has several areas for optimal viewing and cheering, including the grandstand bleachers themselves.