August 26, 2020

At last night's strength and conditioning session I commented to three of our Freshmen that one of my priorities has always been to recruit 7 runners from the Freshman class.  The reason is simple enough.  If our teams compete at an Invitational with a Freshman race, for example the Twilight Meet, we can field a complete team and the youngsters can be challenged by the competition they'll be facing for the next 3+ years.  They can create bonds that will follow them, in all likelihood, beyond secondary school. If they are competitive enough they can make a statement about their future and the future of the program.  I also suggested to the trio that they should make every effort to bring on some friends or any other kids they may know to have an interest in athletics.

I mentioned previously that I am well aware of the responses our athletes receive when trying to recruit for Cross Country.  "It's too hard."  You've heard that, I'm sure.  I'm not recruiting marathoners.  I just want kids to try it.  All I will do is ask you to run once around the track.  90 seconds.  That is easy, but a great start.  We'll see where it goes from there.  Another response offered is, "I'm not a good runner."  I'm not looking for elite runners either.  You don't have to be good.  We'll make you good.  We have coached coached countless kids who ran at the back of the pack as Freshmen and improved to become Captains and among the team and our league's top runners as upperclassmen.  The possibilities are endless

When you consider no kids sit the bench in XC, everybody plays, coupled with the fact that all our kids have the full and heartfelt support of their teammates and coaches, there is no reason not to try Cross Country.  I urge all of you; boys, girls, parents, coaches, teachers . . . (gently) push kids in our direction.  I promise it will be a great experience for them.  You may even gain their most sincere admiration for having motivated them.   And even if the ultimate decision is that our sport is not for them, they will at least be able to dispel the lies of it being "too hard" or only for "good runners."  

XC wants you.  Don't judge yourself, we won't.  Challenge yourself, we will.  And you'll be a far better person for it.  A great poet says it far better than I . . .

Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,

Healthy, Free, the world before me . . .

WALT WHITMAN