ON CROSS COUNTRY

Because I’ve been running cross country since 6th grade, it’s safe to say that I know it well I’ve been there for the traditions, the practices, the races, the culture, and everything else it has to offer To me, cross country isn’t just for physical education credit or even staying healthy Cross country to me is a way to hang out with friends and push yourself in a supportive and laid-back atmosphere, and I keep doing it despite the hard work because of these benefits that bring me such joy While I assume other sports provide this sort of happiness, it is cross country that is truly one of my passions

What I hope a lot of people realize that running isn’t always torturing yourself every day. While the workouts are painful and sweaty and sometimes way to hot, especially here in South Carolina, the effort is often worth it. Not only can you usually feel yourself becoming a better runner every run, but the satisfaction of completing a workout and knowing you tried your best is often enough to make your day. According to Darien Um, one of our better runners, he “keeps doing it to see his progression from year to year,” and he calls cross country “challenging but simple.” I have observed this description to be true. While our coaches push us to our limits as coaches should, they also are funny, casual, and all-around great people Our head coach is the admired (and feared) George Simpson, our British Literature teacher and a wonderful motivator Throughout my years I have seen Coach Simpson change many people running lives including mine, through his toughness but also through his dad jokes and constant jests at everyone Our assistant coaches through my years have also been laid back, as they have all been college or law school students Our latest one is Joey “Dr Stone” Stone, and he has been a very upbeat and friendly, especially in his contribution to one of our now favorite pre-practice activities: deathball, a monstrous hybrid of dodgeball and tips that has carried over into long distance track. Among other fun breaks from the usual running are relay races in which teams compete to complete a workout in the fastest time, rock-paper-scissor challenges, ultimate frisbee days (the crowd favorite), and even a slippin’ slide once.

“Not only can you usually feel yourself becoming a better runner every run, but the satisfaction of completing a workout and knowing you tried your best is often enough to make your day.”

For me, the main reason for my attraction to cross country has been the team environment Everyone on the cross country team is encouraging to each other because we know that this makes people faster, which motivates you to go faster, which improves the overall team Even those who are inexperienced can find support from teammates Zamam Lone, who started running this year, says the atmosphere is “very nice and welcoming. I’ve never run before and wasn’t the best, but everyone kept cheering me on and helping me.” I remember when I was running my first time-trial in sixth grade, when the older runners who ran much faster than me still cheered me on. Despite the monotony of running on South Campus all the time, running with your friends, old and new, speeds up time. 40 minute easy days, and even 6 mile long runs, do not seem so dreadful or grueling when you have people to talk to. The atmospheres of these runs are super casual, but the runs are very important, so we encourage ourselves to group up even on weekends; I find that it is never hard to find company for them However serious races can be, you can count on experiencing the best atmosphere of any days of the season; there’s nothing more motivating than every Hammond parent and idle runner screaming at you to “GO FASTER!” That type of motivation makes you momentarily ignore the pain, and it makes a 5K feel shorter than it really is This is why all runners enjoy the sport so much Just like in a sprint to the ball, or a serve, or a dash to first base, we seek the thrill of the race: its adrenaline, the feeling of being locked into the run, the “runner’s high.” All this is possible because of wonderful coaches and teammates who create an atmosphere that keeps us happy and an environment that grows and shapes runners for the better. If you are looking for a sport to try out, please think about joining Hammond cross country.