Personal Narrative: I Am A Leader In A Cross Country

Cross Country is one of the hardest sports out there. That may be a biased opinion, but in my experience it is true. Only certain people are willing to put themselves through such physical and mental pain for a race that is less than 30 minutes. I am a very driven person. When I want to do something, I set a goal and I work towards it until I have achieved it. That’s why cross country is such a satisfying sport for me. It’s hard--harder than anything I’ve ever done--but it’s so much more rewarding when you look back and see how much progress you’ve made. Cross country may seem like an individual sport, and it can be, but to succeed, you need your whole team’s effort. I have learned that not everyone is as driven as I am. Few people are willing to put in the hard work in practice to do well at meets.

In all my life, I’ve never had a commitment that required so much of me as track and field, both physically and mentally. Towards the end of my high school career, track and field for me meant having to push through a difficult physical condition known as tarsal coalition, a condition that causes inflammation in my feet. With help from my coaches, I had to learn to endure past physical limitation and strengthen my faith in my abilities. By doing so, I became more confident in myself and I was able to help lead other team members to do the same. Not only did track and field teach me to lead, but it also taught me how to be a part of a team. I learned the value of teamwork through building relay race teams. In all relay races, I was either the

I found my love for athletic activity at a young age. When I was 7 years old, I was enrolled in a YMCA summer program in Michigan. That is where it all started. My summer days were filled with various sport activities. Unfortunately, when I moved to California at the age of 10, I stopped playing sports for at least a year. However, during the rest of elementary school, throughout middle school, and in high school, I played different sports to figure out which one I liked best, which is now, Track & Field.

“In running, it doesn’t matter whether you come in first, in the middle or last. You can say, ‘ I finished’ There is a lot of satisfaction in that” - Fred Lebow. I began cross country in eighth grade shortly after my brother joined the year before. He enjoyed it a lot, so I thought it would be fun. I’ve been on the team for two years. I would like to run for the rest of my life. Cross country changed my life positively forever. It taught me to push myself past what I thought was my limit. It revealed to me a great community of people and it taught me to leave my comfort zone.

This sport affects my leadership attitude more than anything else. Cross country is a difficult sport, and everyone needs to have mental toughness. By encouraging my teammates, I indirectly impact the results of their race. It is easier to run well with a positive mindset rather than complaining. For example, before the biggest competitions of the year, the conference and the districts race, I wrote notes to my teammates. My goal was to motivate each runner to perform her best.

Since sophomore year, I have tried a diversity of races, each providing their own unique lessons. The major event that seems, like the NBA championship to track runners overseas is FAR EAST. I started when the veterans was aiming for what they called “2peat” in bringing home the banners. In order to succeed, I had to be dedicated to put my heart and soul into my events. Dedication comes easier to have when you have not only your team support, but also the others

I’ve always had a desire for running and when I heard Richland Center High had a Cross Country team, I knew I wanted to be on it! When I did start, it was tough. There were times my sanity would ask, “ WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU

First of all, most are aware that there is a very large absence of sports that Kihei Charter School offers to its students. Although there is a lack of a variety of sports to be involved in, cross country is one of the many quality teams we have at our school. Among the many perks of this sport, becoming a more socially active with other athletes is a very important one. There are a few hundred students at Kihei Charter School who barely even know their peers. Since the cross country team is open to all grades at any skill level, there is a wide variety of people who run with

For the past three years I’ve been a part of a team that has shaped me into the person I am today. The John Hay cross country team has given me qualities that genuinely made me a better person such as being confident, disciplined, motivated, and a leader. Not only did running help me express these attributes, it also saved my life.

The final seconds of a cross country meet when you are sprinting down the straight away, looking at the finish line, trying to beat just one more person, is one of the most mentally and physically exhausting moments I’ve ever encountered. In the Fall of 2014 things just clicked with our girls cross country team. Winning Bi-county, Conference, Sectional, and advancing to Regional and Semi-state, was unexpected to everyone around us. Losing five of our seven varsity runners the year before got us moved from our small school rank of 3rd to 13th. Getting moved ten spots on that list motivated us even more to prove to everyone what we could do without those graduated seniors.

Running is in my blood. If you ask my parents, they will tell you as soon as I learned to walk, I ran everywhere I went.There are pictures of me at 18 months old chasing my dad as he mowed the lawn. It was difficult to convince me to walk anywhere. I’m a little bit older now but not much has changed. I’ve been running for PD since 8th grade, and it was a mistake that I didn’t start in 7th. Every year I have shown growth in not only my times, but also my character and attitude toward the team. As each season went by, I’ve come to realize how PDXC is more than just a team: it’s a family. During my freshman year at camp in Boone, Coach Hovis had a speech that conveyed how and why PDXC is a family. I remember almost scoffing at that in 9th grade,

Long-distance running is not a sport for wimps. Distance runners seem to have a pretty strong connection with each other because of all suffering and pain that goes into pushing their bodies to the limit. This is evident in the waves (or nods because one is out of breath) exchanged between complete strangers that meet while out for a run. Cross country teams are even more cohesive. With all the time spent together at practice, team members have a solid bond that lasts long outside of running and practice. One the first day of track, the new freshman who were not in cross country are a little lost. The distance runners have their little group, the sprinters have their group, and the throwers have a group as well. The groups intermingle somewhat, but it is fairly easy to tell who belongs in which group. You also associate people with what track group they belong to. The track team is a group, and each discipline is a subgroup.

Throughout the active school year, I take part in cross country, track and basketball. I also played volleyball for a year, but I decided to concentrate on my main passion, cross country, instead of dividing my time and attention into two sports at the same time. I have been running cross country ever since I was old enough to run in the munchkin races. The sport has been passed down through the family, almost every single one of my siblings have run or at least tried it. In track, I have ran the mile and two mile since the seventh grade. These last couple years I joined into the long distance relays. In 2016, the first year we decided to start a relay it consisted of my sister, Victoria, Tristen Ness, and Sammy Swanson. The first time we ran

Last year when I won the Highland Conference in Cross Country, is when I really started to like running. I remember the first meet of the season. I had been running a lot, like 35 miles per week a lot, I was feeling very ready and just felt like I had the advantage on everyone else. I was in such good shape that the two miles you run in an actual meet felt like nothing compared to how much I had been running on my own so at that first meet I kind of surprised myself. I took off a lot faster than everyone else it seemed. I kept a much faster pace than most and just kind of kept it that way. The meet was at Manton, so half way through the race I remembered Manton’s cross country course is known for the signature obstacle, the mudpit. When I got

Cross-country is a tough sport- it requires a lot of endurance, practice, and strength. I remember going to my first high school practice as a freshman; I was scared that I would not be able to handle the increased mileage that varsity runs, and talked to the captain about it before we started stretching. She eased my worries, telling me that the practices always sounded more difficult than they were, and then that the other runners were dreading the first practice as well. It made me feel better to know that everyone else felt the same as me, and I was able to relax. Throughout the rest of the season, she pushed me to do my best in every practice and meet, which greatly improved my times. I looked up to her as a captain, and, as a result, looked up to