With the start of the 2025 cross-country season, the team prepared to launch into their first meet on Aug. 23. Three boys on the varsity team participated in the 5K. Vince Garcia got the best time out of the three with a 22:50.00. Out of the five girls on the varsity team, Delaney Reuter scored the best time overall with a 17:39.00. Reuter has already started strong on the season, and many are excited to watch her defend her State Championship title.
With meets, the mentality is key to control as the runners face long distances and try their best not to wane. There may also need to be a plan that the runner can depend on in case they feel the need to stop running. The cross country coach, Jennifer Fishman, expresses her hopefulness frequently. “I like to approach any race as a celebration of fitness and an opportunity as opposed to a chore,” she said.
Fishman explained that, the season starts right after summer, a time when vacation and laziness like to set in not only to students, but also to staff. Breaking this habit, especially in the first couple meets, is very difficult to rebuild the base of stamina. Usually, there will be a lot of core and supplemental strengthening to help the team get back into the groove. It doesn’t help when the training season isn’t long enough for them to fine-tune their skills for the meets.
Cross country takes hard work, endurance, physical strength, mental strength, and strategy. Physical strength comes in handy when there is different terrain, such as inclines, declines, mud, rock, and grass. When runners struggle physically, it starts to connect to their mentality. Fishman said, “Running can be a really monotonous sport, and you often have to get the job done when you aren’t feeling motivated.” The mental strength to overcome fatigue or any challenging conditions can easily be affected by food, hydration, and sleep. Many athletes may neglect these attributes of success, which will affect their focus and ability to control stress.
In the beginning, some students simply don’t see their potential in running. “I think the biggest source of frustration is to see kids with visible talent just not interested in seeing it and not wanting to put in the work required to make the most of it,” Fishman said. Cross country is overlooked a lot by students as most think it’s boring or simply just don’t want to run; however, it has positively impacted many lives mentally and physically.
Coach Fishman is very excited overall for the season as she embarks on staying connected with the small team. She said, “I love coaching cross country, partially because running as a sport was and continues to be a positive impact on my life. I think running is unique in that it’s truly a lifelong sport, and I would consider my coaching most successful if the kids I’m coaching now still want to run 20 years from now, whether casually or competitively.” Cross country gets severely overlooked as a simple running sport; however, the obstacles of weather and mental strength show that the sport deserves respect.
We can all show our Eaton pride by going to the next meet on Sep. 5 and cheer on the cross country team to victory.
