Preparation for home cross country meet isn’t as easy as it may appear
The first cross country meet of the season is hosted at Mead, and there’s a lot that goes into it
August 27, 2019
It was a sunny 85-degree day that had everyone sweating under the hot sun. Although it was hot, that didn’t stop the cross country kids from preparing for the first race of the season.
“I’m excited but nervous; I want to do well for the first race of the season,” explained junior Sarah Maslowski.
All of the teams — including Mead — felt the pressure but were ready to start the season.
Mead students and coaches were excited to host this meet at home and couldn’t wait for the runners to go through the water obstacle set up by coaches.
“The water obstacle was the part we were most excited about,” said Assistant Coach Steve Parsons.
Creating the course is the most time-consuming element. “Figuring out where the course will be and measure it is the hardest part,” explained Assistant Coach Alex Garcia.
Not only did the coaches have to map out and measure the course, but they also had to make the surface of the course by mowing and laying down flags. They also had to invite teams, get the money for the meet, get volunteers to help run the meet and concessions, and invite school teams to the meet.
Not only was there a lot of preparation on the coaches’ end, but the cross country athletes did a lot to get ready as well.
“Each day of the week that we have practice is a different type of exercise,” said Maslowski. “We start the week off with speed then long runs and run up hills, stuff like that.”
The first week of practices is often considered the hardest, not only as a result of running and establishing endurance but because athletes are in the hot sun.
“It can be hard for the kids to keep going the first week with the heat,” said Garcia. “We try to remind them that it will get better, and it’s worth it.”
“Although I was nervous before the race, the team is so supportive that even though it’s intense, it’s all worth it,” said participant Tyler Bare, junior.
After the race, everyone was exhausted. There were some injuries that had runners sitting down after the race.
Mead’s teammates were very proud of each other.
“We run for the team, and I’m so proud of everyone and the hard work we’ve done,” said Bare.
“When we see people cheering, it keeps us going,” said Maslowski.
Bare shares the same feelings. “When I cross the finish line, I feel so accomplished,” he said.
Being in cross country isn’t easy, and neither is the preparation, but as many people say, it hurts so good.
Emmalyn Howard • Sep 2, 2019 at 8:52 pm
I actually went to this race to support my friends and I have nothing but respect for the people who work so hard to do this. This was the first cross country race I’ve attended. And I’m shocked at how close these people already are with only a week of practice. I really loved this article because of the interviews. However, what would make this article stronger is multiple interviews from the runners. Not just the interviews of the fastest runners, but people all over the spectrum of the race. Great article!
Greta Richardson • Aug 30, 2019 at 12:57 pm
I have so much respect for all cross country runners! They work so hard! Let’s go Mavs!
Joseph McGregor • Aug 30, 2019 at 11:03 am
The race is time consuming to set up, Reynolds spent his whole day mowing the course and setting up flags and working on the water feature. It is good to know that he gets his credit for all the work he has done to get the mead cross country team on its feet and to the level it is now
Andrew Alberts • Aug 30, 2019 at 10:59 am
This is a great article that speaks what happened at the cross country race. I have a brother in cross country and was interested to find more about his meets and practices. Thank you for this wonderful information about our maverick sports. Wonderfully written Marina Goter.
Soren Peterson • Aug 30, 2019 at 10:55 am
I think that this was a good article.
Ethan Graham • Aug 30, 2019 at 10:52 am
Very cool article! Proud of our Mavs!
Parsons • Aug 29, 2019 at 2:42 pm
Great write-up! I liked that it educated readers on what prep goes into hosting a meet. Most people probably don’t know.