Cross country is a running sport that takes place in the fall, where teams compete against each other by racing through a 3.1 mile course. Through the hills and the mud, cross country is a mentally and physically
challenging sport. Though it isn’t easy, joining cross country has many benefits.
“It benefits your time management and mental health because you have to balance school and a sport,” alumn Natalie Gill said. “Running physically helps you by exercising and it mentally helps you.”
A big component of cross country is the positive atmosphere. It is a team sport, but it can also be individual. Competitiveness is another big factor of cross country. While rooting for teammates in a race, having an individual mental aspect of the race is key. Anyone can join cross country. There is a wide range of people on the cross country team, some who train all of summer, and some who just come for the fun and the experience. A lesson learned from cross country is hard work pays off.
“I like that it’s a challenge every day, and if you don’t show up and do the work, then you don’t get the results,” alumn Annie Palmer said. “You can see exactly what you put in.”
Running is not an easy sport, and it is very mentally challenging. One of the best parts of running competitively is pushing through the challenges and getting rewarded with improvement. Building a strong, fit body and a tough, determined mind makes all of the hard work worth it in the end.
“It makes you mentally stronger because you are forcing yourself into discomfort on purpose, which makes you believe that you can handle hard things,” Palmer said.
Track and Field is a sport that takes place in the spring, consisting of running, throwing and jumping. There are a wide variety of events in this sport. Running events consist of sprints like the 100, dashes like the 800 and distance races like the 3200 meter run. Jumping events consist of high jump, long jump, triple jump and pole vault. Throwing events consist of shot put, discus throw, hammer throw and javelin throw. Despite the challenges, track is very fun and brings people together as a team.
“I recommend joining track and field because you’ll meet so many new people, set new goals, and get in shape,” sophomore Jayden Brown said. “I also like it because I’m always improving in my races.”
