Every year, the cross country team works hard throughout the season with hopes of making it to regionals and ultimately qualifying for state. Both the Shadow Ridge boys and girls teams ran at regionals this year, and both qualified to go to state. The boys worked hard and placed third, while the girls came in fourth. Cross Country Coach, Richard Frank, was pleased with how the regional meet went.
Frank stated, “I think that the team exceeded my expectations at the regional meet last weekend.” He continued, “Many athletes set PRs for that particular course, and the boys finished one place ahead of what we had projected.”
With the course being so challenging both mentally and physically, Frank said, “I try to prepare athletes for courses like the one at Veterans Memorial Park by training on a variety of surfaces, doing strength training, speed work, and hill repeats. Cross country is a very dynamic sport and requires both physical and mental strength, so developing a strong mind during hard practices makes for a tough athlete during high-level competition.”
Having challenging workouts throughout the season helped prepare athletes to push themselves beyond what they thought was possible.
Senior athlete Dylan Bailey said, “A lot of the motivation, in my opinion, comes from being there for each other as a team—trying our hardest so we don’t let the team down.” He continued, “Cross country is an amazing sport where if one person has a bad race, that’s okay—there are six other people there to help pick that person up, carry the weight for them, and help get them ready to have a good race next time. It’s good to know the team will be there for you.”
Like any sport, cross country relies on all of its members contributing. Frank stated, “My expectations for state are the same as for every race.” He continued, “I want the athletes to run hard enough to feel proud of their efforts. All of the athletes met this expectation. One athlete who stood out to me in particular was Savannah Abney—she took a pretty nasty fall during the race, but she picked herself up and finished in 25th place. It’s not every day that you get to witness such grit.”
Cross country member Mayci Barney said, “I love our sense of community because we’re all really great friends and hang out with each other a lot.”
Cross country is not only about racing, but also about the family and friendships you build throughout the season. Teammates motivate and support each other through the painful moments, lifting one another up—not only in running, but in life as well.
