The Start of Cross Country 2014
Joe Settineri
When you think of a sport, a few things might come to mind: balls, sports equipment, last minute scoring, four quarters, etc. When you think of Cross country, a few different things might come to mind: “Is this even a sport?,” “Who runs for fun?,” or “Wow, that sounds terrible.” All of the previous statements highlight the murkiness of this “mystery sport” that no one really hears much about. Cross Country is indeed a sport, although thought otherwise by many. Do Cross country runners run for fun? Well, yes and no. The majority of our runners here at Homer strive to reach a sublime physical condition, to prepare them for other activities and sports. In the process of being on a team, completing new milestones, and beating competitors fun is added into the mixture, whether you are a prepper for the next season or just in it for fun. Running, something so physically draining, is not fun for anyone because they are working up to their full potential. The aftermath of races, goals being broken and achieving a state of fitness you never thought possible of yourself, is the rewarding and, yes, fun part. This year the 2014 Homer Cross Country Team is looking like it could have one of its best years in quite a while. Coaches Mr. Baldwin and Mr. Graves are positive for one of the best seasons yet with a solid boys and girls squad. The boys team, having over thirty participants (the most in a decade), is looking for a win against Cortland and Chittenango on Wednesday. The Girls having a sparser team of eight is still a solid group that will go head to head with Cortland and Chittenango on Wednesday as well. Standouts include returning juniors Evan Ulrich and Mckayla Crawford, who lead the boys and the girls teams respectively in times. Grant Stokoe and Zoey Fish also stand out as outstanding freshman runners, making great additions to both teams. Returning Seniors Jackson Dowdle, Tyler Hatfield, Grace Gugerty, and Erica Stevens, also plan on having a solid seasons having run all four years.
