Two weekends ago the cross country group qualified and competed in states. With this, many different types of people competed and tried their hardest for their school, providing maximum effort and showing their school spirit all while having fun and growing as people. Perseverance has much to do with competing and plays a much larger role than one may think.

  “I think this year’s group’s biggest element [for qualifying for states] was perseverance. I think that they worked hard from beginning to end and they persevered through all of the obstacles that came their way, finishing second in the regional [competition] was a great team effort, and then to finish top ten in the state in division one is quite an accomplishment, and I think their hard work and perseverance were a big part of that,” Athletic Director Jason Carmien said.

  Perseverance is only a small part of the larger net that is mentality while running. One of the most important things to upkeep and keep in check is your headspace.

  “I think mental toughness. I think you have to test yourself, not only against other runners, but also against the weather and terrain, and I think every time you compete it’s just a test of wills out there, and I was really impressed with our student-athletes and their ability to stay mentally tough through their season, [from] beginning to end,” Carmien said.

  Students and members of the cross country team subscribe to this importance of mentality when it comes to cross country.

  “Mentally it’s really tough to run a race because there’s a lot on your mind,” sophomore cross-country runner Reese Smith said.

  All of this strength and preparation is implemented and utilized for a larger reason than just personal gain, helping an individual’s team and friends grow is incredibly important and rewarding as well.

  “Don’t give up on [cross country], and the training pays off. It may be hard, but it’s still a lot of fun and good for you and your team,” Smith said.

  The most difficult and rigorous part of cross country is almost unanimous; practice and training.

  “I think the most difficult part was racing and all of the practicing stuff… I started last year, and I trained all summer,” freshman cross-country runner Austin Taft said.

  The practice may be tough and off-putting, but the benefits will come from effort in more ways than one.

  “A lot of my friends were in it together, and it sounded fun, so I joined… My favorite part was qualifying for some of the bigger meets,” Taft said.