XBC Invitational: More Than Just A Meet Name


The Cassel's XBC Track Experience Invitational held each April by Chantilly high school represents way more than just a regular track meet, it represents a legacy and honors Chantilly alum XC "Boone" Cox, IV. 

Boone was a 2005 graduate of Chantilly high school with a 4.0 GPA. Throughout his high school career he was a Varsity member of XC/T&F for the Chargers a total of 12 times and was a member of the all-region 4x8. 

In 2005 he continued his academic career at the University of Virginia and it was then when his entire world was turned upside down. 

During his first semester at UVA, he was diagnosed with leukemia. He, alongside his family, friends, and teammates, fought this illness for nearly a year before passing in September of 2006. 

That April (2006) the Chantilly Coaching Staff decided to honor him by naming their new invitational in his honor, the Cassel's XBC Track Experience. This meet held every April draws some of the best teams from the entire DMV area and is a fun environment to compete and remember Boone. 

Each year his parents celebrate his life at this event and honor a current student-athlete with an award/scholarship in his name. 



Chantilly also as a team honors him outside of this invitational with their "XBC TC" uniforms and track club name at Foot Locker, NXN, NBNI, and NBNO. They wear these to honor his life and to raise awareness for Leukemia. Here is a great picture of one of those uniforms when in 2016 when the team of McGorty, Jeffries, Loh, and Scopellite set the indoor SMR national record. 

Boone left us with a great message and each year Chantilly high school and their Cassel's XBC Invitational try their best to fulfill his request. Here is Boone's statement:


My request is simple... please, please find a charity, find an organization, find ANYTHING that supports research into a disease such as leukemia, HIV, breast cancer... ANYTHING... and support it. Give money, volunteer time, do anything you can, no matter how small and insignificant it may seem. You never know when something like this may be thrown into your lap, and you never know who may be affected by a disease like this... you think it can't happen to you (I sure didn't) and hopefully it never will, but so long as you're able to help - why not do it?


This experience has truly changed my life in ways that I never could have imagined. Priorities have been flipped upside down, and things that I wouldn't even have given a second thought to in the past I now look at as beauty in everyday life... I hope that you see the value that can be found in the lives of all of your friends and family, and that you take strides toward protecting their lives (and the lives of thousands of others), by supporting an organization which researches life-threatening diseases."

Thanks.

Boone Cox, March, 2006


Here is a place where you can donate towards his cause: Leukemia & Lymphoma Society 


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