Doing a sport is a great way to get in shape, make friends, and improve time management skills. Cross-country is a perfect fit for people who enjoy running, as well as for those who don’t. The sport isn’t just about becoming a better runner; it’s also about bonding with the people on the team.
Cross-country is a long-distance sport. During practices, runs can be anywhere between 2 and 5 miles. Meets are usually a 5k run, which is about 3.1 miles.
In addition to getting better at running, cross country is a great sport to build character and make friends for life. The team does a lot of bonding; they have dinner the night before a race, sometimes at someone’s house, and other times going out to eat.
Sophomore Presley Tullos finds that the best parts of cross country are “the pasta dinners and the team bonding. It’s really fun to spend time with the team because everyone is so nice. Running is really good for you, the team is very fun, everybody is so nice and welcoming, and the pasta dinners are so much fun.”
Most people who are members of cross country highlight the importance of the connection between everyone on the team.
Sophomore Oskar Reing said he likes “the feeling of community and camaraderie.” He thinks that “[cross country] is fun.”
Next season, the team will be introducing two captains, Bobby Gray and Kerin Gorman. Both will be seniors next year and were voted to be captains by the team.
Junior Bobby Gray said, “I joined because I heard that it was a fun activity to do, and my grandfather was a runner, and he wanted me to do it. I’m a captain now, so that’s kind of fun. Cross-country is a really fun thing to do. [It has a] great sense of community, [it’s a] great team, [and a] great after-school activity. Cross country builds character, and it creates a good sense of community, and it’s a good activity for people to do. It doesn’t matter if you’re not the fastest; they accept everyone.”
At practices, the boys and girls run together, but at meets, they run separately. Everyone on the team is very supportive, and all cheer each other on during meets.
Junior Kerin Gorman said, “The best part of cross country is definitely the bonds between everyone, and everyone’s just really close. We’re able to all cheer each other on at meets. People should join cross country because it’s definitely a fun experience, and it’s not too big of a commitment after school. Also, the meets are really fun.”
Not being a good runner isn’t a problem in cross country. The coaches, Aimee Worcester, Alanna Callahan, and Jeffrey Loja, are very accommodating based on where their runners are.
“You don’t even have to be a good runner to join. [I was a] horrible runner and I still [did] it, and I got a lot better at it actually, and now I actually like running,” said Presley Tullos.
Some runners see meets as more of a race against their previous personal records (PR’s) than races against other towns.
Sophomore Aria Callanan said, “It’s not really a competitive sport, you’re more against your PR’s for the most part. [Participating in this sport] is a lot of fun and you make memories that will last a lifetime, and there’s so many fun people that do it.”
Cross country has a lot fewer people than track does, which allows for more bonding between people within the team. Last season, there were around 20 people who did the sport.
Junior Noah Shaw said, “Cross country is smaller and more familiar than track. Track is still cool, but cross country just feels connected.”
Quickly, the people on the team become more like family. Everyone is very welcoming, and friendships form fast.
Sophomore Andrew Nguyen said, “These people are like family to me. People should join because they get to be a part of our family. The family has a special bond, and we all just love each other so much.”
