Per the GHSA website, Cross Country season is officially here. Technically it was here last week as the firs official practice date was July 27th. And our earliest date for a contest is August 10th, this upcoming Monday. Typically schools will be in "summer practice" mode until their first day of school. Coaches are teachers and are at the mercy of their district and pre planning. So until that first day of school, things are fairly inconsistent across the state. But most schools start this week or have recently started, so I thought it would be a fun time to take a look at what you can expect during that first week.
Seniors puffing their chests
Whether that's because they're now captains of the team, because they ran more miles than anybody else, or just because it's FINALLY their turn at the top of the totem pole, you can expect seniors everywhere in the state to be flexing some muscle this week. And cut them some slack, in many cases they've earned it. They've got one eye on the prize this season and one eye on whatever is next in their lives. It's a stressful time, but it's also a very fun time. There is almost nothing as fun as a senior year XC season. The friendships are amazing. The hard work often pays off. The trust has been built with coach over the previous seasons. This is the year it all comes together. Sadly not everybody gets to knock it out of the park. But I find that more often than not, this can be a great experience for our oldest kids on the team, even if it comes with some curveballs along the way.
Freshmen getting lost
Then there's the other side of the coin. The newbies. These kids are very much still kids and are often times just trying out the sport for the very first day on the first day of school. Sure some of them come out in the summer. And several more are looking to be scorers for their team who "won the freshman lottery." But the reality that almost all of them have so much to learn. And that includes the running routes at the practice locations. There are bound to be a few that get lost along the way, My analysis suggests that it's an average of about 2.46 freshman per team around the state who get lost at some point on a run this week. Most of them make it back, so no harm no foul. But there's always that kid who gets lost on the first day of practice and never shows up again. A good friend of mine likes to say that "the best thing about freshman is they grow up to be sophomores." Which is a little harsh. But for anybody who has been around the sport for a while, you can have a chuckle at that statement.
Coach getting fired up
And what would a first week of practice be without a fired up coach? He/She has been planning this season all summer long (or since last January) and it's finally here. Cross Country coaches LOVE their sport. They absolutely love it. They got hooked on it at some point in their lives and they can't let it go. They even sometimes write articles for MileSplit about how much they love the sport. And so coach is absolutely fired up for this week. They're ready with some new inspirational quote to motivate everybody to run farther and faster than they ever have before. They're ready to yell at the kids who didn't follow the workout correctly. They're ready to yell at the freshman who got lost, the kids who forget their water bottles, the kids who go to the wrong practice location, the athletic trainer who says lightning is 6 miles away even though there's not a cloud in the sky, and the parents who didn't fill out the right forms. Oooh. On 2nd thought, don't yell at the parents. Not a good idea. Maybe keep that one under your breath. But be fired up anyway because it's cross country season!
The weather causing problems
The best laid plans...holy cow is that accurate when it comes to cross country in August in Georgia. Sometimes it's the heat. Sometimes it's the lighting. Sometimes it's both. But somehow, some way, practice plans are going to get disrupted by the Georgia weather. And it's so easy to get fired up about it too (see the note about coach above). But everybody will have their own challenges here. Weather will cause you to change your plans, it's going to happen. And that's ok. Roll with the punches here. Find a way. Trying to train for this sport perfectly is a fool's errand. The more obstacles you face now, the easier it will be to beat the really important ones in November.
Lots and lots of hills.
Ok, maybe not as much if you live in coastal Georgia, there are other challenges there. But the rest of you will have to deal with the Georgia terrain this week. And it's going to feel even harder in August than it did in June or than it will in September. Get used to it. Somebody fast once said "hills are spadework in disguise" and I think it's important to remember that during cross country season. Heck it's a great idea all year long. You might think that Shorter stuff is better because you can run faster. But the hills pay the bills, folks. Run them often and get stronger. Carrollton is a constant barrage of uphills and downhills. It's tough to be great at state without running your hills in August.
Have fun this week. Or next week. Or I hope you had fun last week. Whatever applies to the start of your season, let's all remember that we're here to have fun and challenge ourselves. We're here to work hard and get better. Maybe you'll be a professional runner one day. Maybe you'll be a coach one day. Maybe you'll finish your last XC race ever this year. Whatever applies to you personally, I think the lessons learned can be applied to all forever. This sport helps you be better prepared for life, whatever that ends up looking like for you. Good luck this fall, and beyond. Let's go have some fun!
Per the GHSA website, Cross Country season is officially here. Technically it was here last week as the firs official practice date was July 27th. And our earliest date for a contest is August 10th, this upcoming Monday. Typically schools will be in "summer practice" mode until their first day of school. Coaches are teachers and are at the mercy of their district and pre planning. So until that first day of school, things are fairly inconsistent across the state. But most schools start this week or have recently started, so I thought it would be a fun time to take a look at what you can expect during that first week.
Seniors puffing their chests
Whether that's because they're now captains of the team, because they ran more miles than anybody else, or just because it's FINALLY their turn at the top of the totem pole, you can expect seniors everywhere in the state to be flexing some muscle this week. And cut them some slack, in many cases they've earned it. They've got one eye on the prize this season and one eye on whatever is next in their lives. It's a stressful time, but it's also a very fun time. There is almost nothing as fun as a senior year XC season. The friendships are amazing. The hard work often pays off. The trust has been built with coach over the previous seasons. This is the year it all comes together. Sadly not everybody gets to knock it out of the park. But I find that more often than not, this can be a great experience for our oldest kids on the team, even if it comes with some curveballs along the way.
Freshmen getting lost
Then there's the other side of the coin. The newbies. These kids are very much still kids and are often times just trying out the sport for the very first day on the first day of school. Sure some of them come out in the summer. And several more are looking to be scorers for their team who "won the freshman lottery." But the reality that almost all of them have so much to learn. And that includes the running routes at the practice locations. There are bound to be a few that get lost along the way, My analysis suggests that it's an average of about 2.46 freshman per team around the state who get lost at some point on a run this week. Most of them make it back, so no harm no foul. But there's always that kid who gets lost on the first day of practice and never shows up again. A good friend of mine likes to say that "the best thing about freshman is they grow up to be sophomores." Which is a little harsh. But for anybody who has been around the sport for a while, you can have a chuckle at that statement.
Coach getting fired up