By LESLEY GRAHAM
There’s a lot that goes into the preparation for a cross country race. Miles are run, pasta eaten, shoes laced, lucky socks laundered and ready for race day.
What generally is not accounted for is a canceled flight that leaves over 70 Ocean City cross country runners and coaches stranded at the Philadelphia airport with no way to travel to the Disney Classic in Orlando.
The boys and girls cross country teams departed for Philadelphia International Airport after school on Thursday, with a scheduled flight to Orlando International Airport that evening.
After receiving notification of the flight being delayed twice and eventually canceled, the coaches began notifying students and parents of their impending return to Ocean City, since their original airline was unable to get a flight out to Orlando until the following Wednesday – well past scheduled race time.
According to Assistant Coach Steve Hoffman, the coaches were already alerting the bus company to transport the team back to Ocean City. Parents were arriving at the airport to make sure there were enough options to get everyone home safely.
“It was really overwhelming how many people were willing to help us when we needed it the most,” Hoffman said.
Little did the coaches know, the help wouldn’t stop with friends and family. Some members of the team were working on Plan B. Instead of being defeated and calling it a night, the Ocean City team took to social media, hoping for a miracle. And Delta Air Lines answered their prayers. Well, more specifically, their tweet.
Drake Castañeda, a spokesperson for Delta, said the airline was alerted through its digital media team that a high school team was stuck in Philadelphia trying to make it to Disney.
“No one even batted an eye that it wasn’t an originally scheduled Delta flight that was canceled. It was just an opportunity to do the right thing,” Castañeda said in a phone interview Sunday.
In less than two hours from the time of being notified via social media, Delta had secured a plane, a crew and all the necessary logistics to fly the OCHS cross country teams to Orlando to compete in the Disney Classic.
Philadelphia to Orlando is not a normal direct route for Delta because Philadelphia does not serve as one of its major hubs. There was not a fleet of spare planes laying in wait in case of emergency. But Delta felt the need to help the stranded runners have the opportunity to compete, Castañeda said.
“It’s amazing but not surprising. The competitive advantage is gained by taking care of people, and we encourage all our employees to do the right thing and lead by example,” Castañeda said.
After what was originally scheduled as a 6 p.m. departure from Philadelphia, the team members were now flying in the wee hours of the morning, taking off just after 4 a.m. Following a two-hour flight, both teams were checked in and ready to race by 8 a.m. – a good thing since the race started at 10 a.m.
Emma Sardy, a senior on the girls team, said the whole experience was overwhelming.
“We had been waiting for hours, and after months of training the thought of not getting to the race was devastating. We are all so grateful that Delta helped our team and made our trip possible,” Sardy said of the ordeal.
Assistant Coach Hoffman echoed Sardy’s sentiments. “The amount of effort and compassion Delta had to save a flight that wasn’t even theirs to begin with was amazing,” he said. “We always talk about being present in the moment and enjoying the experience.”
Thanks to Delta’s efforts going above and beyond, the teams were able to do just that.
