Five Reasons to Join Cross Country
Photo Credit: John Gill
The cross country team is dwindling, which may be because of the dauntingly long distances. The 5K race sounds intimidating, and admittedly there are some members on the team who still feel anxious about the races.
For the vast majority of runners, cross country is more than just a way to stay in shape; it brings people together and it creates a comradeship in which everybody goes through similar highs and lows. If you don’t know how to kick off another year of high school, here are five reasons you should consider joining cross country.
1) No prior sports experience is necessary
The sport is open to anyone. Unlike some team sports, participants in cross country don’t need any history in athletics. A big reason why many people don’t do cross country is because they think they don’t have what it takes and they’ll be cut from the team. Fortunately, there are no tryouts. If you’re not as fast as other runners, there will always be room for improvement and you will still fit in.
“I say give it a try,” is what coach John Gill had to say to people who are thinking about coming out for cross country. You’ll never know what you’ll enjoy until you give it a chance.
2) You make great bonds with the team
Cross country is a very inclusive sport. You have the chance to interact with everyone since JV and Varsity run together at practice. Plus, the team is small so it’s easier to talk to people.
Take seniors Tony Andrade and Noah Fitch for example, whose friendship only grew stronger through cross country. Andrade discussed his experience with Fitch, saying, “We had similar times [and] that really gave us time to warm up together and work hard together. We would be together all the time to push ourselves to become better.” It goes to show how there will always be someone on the team to run with, who runs the same mile time as you.
Every summer, the coach organizes an all-day team bonding trip to Long Beach, Washington. This is how a lot of the teammates become close friends with one another. Sophomore Logan Olafson believes the bonding trip improved the relationships with people on the team. “We were able to take the whole day to just hang out with the cross country team and do stuff that was related to [it]. We were able to get to know each other more,” she said.
3) You will see improvements to your body and mind
Rome wasn’t built in a day; new recruits can’t expect to be in the best running shape the first week they show up. It takes commitment, dedication, and patience to be a good runner. Most beginners in cross country are afraid to start running because they’re apprehensive of their abilities. Of course you’re going to be sore at first, but it means you’ve put in a lot of hard work. You’ll gradually find yourself running faster races if you stick with the sport.
From his sophomore year to his junior year, Richard Vasquez believes his participation in cross country has made him a stronger person. “You’re running and [think] you can’t, but then you realize that you can and it just changes everything like your mindset,” he described. With a determined mindset, you can put on a great performance and feel satisfied knowing that you just gave it your all.
4) The coach always roots for you
I remember on my first day of practice one thing I was afraid of was how the coach would treat new runners. Was he going to push me too hard? Was he going to yell at me for being slow? It only took me a few days to discover how supportive and friendly Coach Gill is. He’s got a great connection with the teammates. As the team goes on their daily runs, Coach Gill will be running with, encouraging, and getting to know his team.
“I get just as excited seeing my JV kids getting faster and improving as I am watching my Varsity kids do what I think they’re capable of,” Gill said. Rather than sitting back and watching the students run, he prefers to do the workouts with the team to watch them improve, which he says is the best feeling a coach can have.
5) PR’s bring out the best in people
In cross country, a PR, or personal record, is what everyone on the team strives for. It’s what drives runners to do better every single race, and they aren’t handed out to people. Athletes have to work hard to earn these, but in the process, also builds character in each individual.
“[Cross country] builds character by teaching your body to not give up and believe in yourself and your physical capabilities in sports,” senior Riely Medau said. There’s a lot of concealed life lessons that can be realized. When runners reach that second mile, they have a choice to give up or dig down deep to finish the race strong. These things can be applied for the other struggles people face in life.
Junior Grace Strid made the connection between cross country lessons and life lessons saying, “Maybe constantly getting 95% is great, but I can always shoot for 100% and I think the same thing applies for life in general.” Cross country is a physical way of showing people that if your heart and mind is in the right place, you can accomplish anything.
This year, the cross country team has approximately thirty-eight students registered, and we are looking to break the highest record of forty-seven athletes. Just be sure you have a participation form and a physical turned into the athletic office before coming out. Participants meet at the track shed at 4PM on weekdays. The majority of meets are held on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Other schools in the Metro League have a large number of people running cross country, and one way Century can stand out amongst other schools is if more students give the sport a shot.