Bright and early on Saturday morning, the Cross country team was already hard at work. I woke up at the crack of dawn just to get there to watch their race, and the runners get up even earlier in order to prepare for their race. This particular race wasn’t an official one, but boy was the spirit and energy high. It was the red and green race, a friendly competition between the team, where everyone is divided into said colors
The races start, and boy are those kids fast. Even the audience could recognize the skill and pure athleticism in this team. I could go on and on about how great our team is, which they are, but I would rather focus on the people behind the sport.
I talked to a couple people after the races about how they feel about the upcoming season. All the answers went along the same lines: excited. Joey Verville, a freshman on the team, was one of the many to PR that morning, setting a good mood for the remainder of the season. This XC program isn’t one of those where the coach is a taskmaster who doesn’t care for the team, but quite the opposite. Head Coach Juris Green mentioned how even though he would love for podiums this season, he also wants to see the kids set big goals for themselves and be open minded. To his athletes, he is the optimal coach, with a fun humor and getting his kids to exceed their own expectations.
Next, I got to have a little conversation with the team manager, Sarah Katz.
“I’m mostly excited for state. Our girls team is very promising, and our boys team is right up there with them. We have a lot from the younger generation that are coming up as opposed to our senior focused team from last year,” Katz said.
“For the cross country team, we focus a lot on our mindsets. A lot of runners are able to perform well during workouts and their easy runs” Katz said.
“The problem comes when you are running in the races, but most of the time, it’s all in your mind. So, we focus a lot on mental strength, and I try to tell my teammates, you know, you have to have a positive mindset and you have to believe you can do it before it’s going to come to you,” Katz finishes with.
Going on to the foundation of the team, the seniors!
I got to sit down with Alexandria Cooper, Ethan Sharkowitz, Luke Holz, and Axxeton Miller.
“I want to break my PR of 16:20 for a 5k and go sub 16:00” says Miller.
Sharkowitz is looking more on a larger scale with his goals.
“I want to have a top 3 finish at state,or get a school record,” Sharkowitz said.
The seniors also went in depth on the goals they have for the team itself.
“I hope my team will develop their mental toughness and physical strength this season” states Cooper.
“I wanna just help my teammates grow and get better, and personally I want to stay disciplined and give it my best,” Holz said.
Doesn’t this just sound like an amazing group of athletes?
When looking at all of these well-versed responses, it is clear to see that this is a hard-working group of student athletes. They show great dedication and craft to the sport they are a part of. Their confidence and grit in what they participate in excels all standards for cross country.
