The air is stifling in such a confined space. I am able to drown out the buzz of the crown and integrate it into the background. I look to my left, my teammate flashes me a smile, “We can do it, we worked all year for this”, she says. I know she’s right. I can’t help but smile back at her. The 7 of us stand in a huddle at the starting line, each of our arms warped around each other forming a maroon mass. Around us there are 13 other teams that worked just as hard to make it to State Cross Country. Each of us proudly sports a maroon Papillion LaVista uniform. Finally, the starter readies us at the line and the gun goes off for the last time of the season. My four years as a Cross Country runner will forever be engraved in my memory. My team is not only a team, but a family. These people are lifelong friends and sisters. I’ve learned more from them than any teacher could ever put on a blackboard.
Cross country has never been a popular sport. People do not make signs for us or ask to wear our jersey to the next meet. There aren’t even bleachers for people who want to speculate. Attention and glory are not the reasons to join cross country. It’s not particularly how many times or how fast a person runs, but who they ran with. I could not pick any better running buddies. I like to think of our teams a reflection of every single person in it. We encourage each other through the uphills, and pace each other through the downhills. Over the years my teammates have grown more and more alike. We work hard but we know how to have fun, occasionally awarding ourselves with an ice cream stop mid-run.
Such a close relationship with my teammates is not easily achieved. It consists of getting up at 7:30 every summer morning to go to conditioning and lifting. We are obligated to attend every after school practice as well, unless we mysteriously come down with a deadly illness. Practices are everyday during the season from 3:30 to 6. Other than practice, we have meets about twice a week that don’t end until around 8 or 9. Sometimes I feel like I spend more time with my team than I do at home. People ask me all the time how I don’t get burned out, but to be honest, I love it.
The upper class teammates have played a major in my love for cross country. They told me where to go, what to do, and how to run (yes, there is an incorrect way to run). As a senior, I now must take on those responsabilities. I see the small, scared freshman girls, and I see myself 3 years ago. It is now my job to guide them. I have been on the varsity cross country team since the beginning. Because of this I must set the best example possible. The 7 varsity member are looked up to, as we have more practices and are expected to work harder. Sometimes when the coaches aren’t able to attend practice, it falls on the varsity member to decide where the team is running and how far. It is up to me to show the freshman girls how much they can truly gain from this our team.
When I signed up for the Papillion LaVista cross country team, I had no idea how much time I was really committing. However, I would not consider it time wasted. My 3 years of being on the team have brought life-long friends into my life. I know I can always count on them to be there for me, as I will be for them. Even though it’s a lot of work and commitment, it has showed me to value a team. I have gained the ability to work hard, individually and with others. I have set goals for myself. I have displayed my commitment every single practice, no matter how early in the morning. I have led others to share my love for the sport and the team. In the end, it feels good to know that I have gained much more than just any tangible medal or plaque.
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