State Cross Country

Cross Country began as a competitive sport in England around 1838. The athletes face many mental challenges and must have lots of stamina to push through their 2-mile races in order to improve. We interviewed everyone who went to State, as well as Mrs. Bishop, the Cross Country coach for the middle school. Here are the questions and their answers:

Ethan Otto

1. What was your favorite part about State?
   The environment.
2. What was your PR?
   11:21.
3. Who was your biggest supporter?
   Hudson Leman, because he always pushed me to be better.
4. What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome?
   Physical pain.

Staley Stankens

1. What was your favorite part about State?
   The experience of being there and when I got done.
2. What was your PR?
   13:09.
3. Who was your biggest supporter?
   My parents, because my mom is the coach, and my dad came to all the meets. They were both really loud.
4. What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome?
   In the middle of the season, I kept getting the same time for every meet, so getting under that was tough.

Hudson Leman

1. What was your favorite part about State?
   The people. They’re the fastest in the State and are always really nice.
2. What was your PR?
   11:26.
3. Who was your biggest supporter?
   My mom and dad, because they always tried to make it to my meets and would cheer for me.
4. What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome?
   Running the mental race. You’ve got to keep going and not give up.

Mrs. Bishop

1. Why do you enjoy coaching Cross Country?
   I love coaching Cross Country because it’s a very challenging sport that a lot of kids think they can’t do, and I get to prove to them that they can do hard things.
2. What is the hardest part of Cross Country in your opinion?
   Kids believing that they can do hard things.
3. How did the team do this year?
   Three individuals went, and while they were happy with their performances, they didn’t get their PRs or achieve their fastest speeds.
4. How did you prepare for State this year?
   All the work was done before. The week of State, we focused on having fun because all the hard work had already been done.