Hard Work, Winning, and Fried Chicken

The boys Varsity team joins hands as a sign of unity before each race.

Madison Koesler, Co-Editor

Cross Country season is racing by and the team is not here to disappoint. Both the boys and girls have been preparing for months running up to 12 miles a day, and their hard work, mixed with their optimistic mindset, is bringing them to great places so far.

To get ready for the current season, the team works together to lift each other up and keep a positive attitude during practice every day. A large part of running is psychological; maintaining a confident disposition while runners fight through the pain is what separates them into first and last place. This is why the runners value this positivity and their winning attitude.

“It’s a mental game,” senior James Sellers commented.

“Everyone always shows their positive attitude! Whether practice, or a meet, we always help each other and give encouragement,” junior Li Yu agreed.

When racing, hearing the team cheering and keeping a positive mindset helps the runners fight through the pain. Unlike other sports, Cross Country is about learning how to deal with the pain, and how to push yourself to do your best instead of simply beating another team. To do this, the runners push each other, and most importantly themselves, to strive to do the best they can, even if it that is not necessarily first place.

“[While running,] winning is all I think about… and sometimes fried chicken,” senior Daniel Harrell revealed about how he focuses during races.

“I just try to focus on catching the guy in front of me,” junior Joe Royston added.

Even though racing season has started, the runners continue to mentally and physically train every day at practice, and their hard work shows. All four teams had an okay start to their season, but on September 12, things started looking up after the Trinity Prep race. The varsity boys took first place with a score of 21, and the varsity girls came in second place with a score of 75 in each of their races. In addition, the boys’ JV team also snatched the first place spot with a score of 23. Last, but not least, the JV girls came in fourth place with a score of 99.

“Races are something to look forward to. Very exhilarating and it’s awesome to cheer the team and other runners on!” senior Jane Vance proclaimed.

“We have been running all summer to prepare!” exclaimed junior Megan Rhodes, “We can’t wait to run some good times [this season]!”