Since practice began August 10th, the cross country team has continued to train diligently and put on the miles. Coached by Matt Genrich, the expectations always are to work hard and keep a positive attitude, which many of his athletes do. The cross country team at HHS is a very tight knit and encouraging group. Parker Fitzgerald, a senior at HHS who has run cross country since the 7th grade, states, “The team atmosphere is very positive, even when we don’t want it to be. Some days are hard for us, but we always build off of each other and encourage one another to be better together by creating this family-like environment.” The family-like environment is what draws many to the sport; Presli White, a junior at HHS who joined cross country as a freshman, also said she loves the encouragement her team has provided.
Athletes that are a part of the cross country team here at HHS also go through a load of prep work before meets. Parker says during the night before a meet, the team meets up at a teammate’s house for supper to load up on proper nutrition and to bond with other teammates. On the day of a meet, Fitzgerald states that he tries to picture the course in his head to get a feel for what the actual race will look like. Presli says that praying and listening to music help prepare herself for meets. Mental preparation is a key aspect in all sports; doing so can really increase an athlete’s performance at any event.
The cross country athletes here at HHS also continue to work hard even after the season is over. Some athletes, like Fitzgerald, begin training for the track season after cross country ends. Others, however, train for the next cross country season. The athletes competing in cross country this year are sure to have many successes because of the amount of time they put in on and off the course. With their teammates behind them, there is nothing that can stop them this season. Currently, White broke the school record in the 5k race at a time of 19:19, and the team placed 3rd overall at the Nike meet on September 11.