There’s no better start to a fall morning than spending it outside in the sun with your teammates. Tired legs, burning calves, and most importantly, encouraging fellow runners. Cross Country is much more than just running.
At New Hartford, we have girls’ and boys’ modified and Varsity cross country. Meeting twice a week and practicing every day, teammates start to become friends, and coaches start to become mentors.
Ms. Andrea Lewis, Varsity girls’ cross country head coach, began coaching in 2005, first in Mohawk for about seven years, then she came to New Hartford in 2012 as an assistant coach.
“Running is a lifelong sport and I feel that it is important to instill running in the youth,” Coach Lew said to explain why she originally wanted to start coaching.
Coach Lew feels passionate about running; she herself has run 28 marathons, three full Iron-mans, six half Iron-mans, and one ultra marathon, which is a 50k. Coach Lew did not run in high school, which may be surprising to some.
On the other hand, Alexandria French and Mia Labella have run throughout high school and middle school. They have been on the same team almost every year, yet they have had very different experiences with cross country. Alex and Mia both started running in 7th grade, but Alex was moved up in 8th grade to Varsity. Alex believes that when she got moved up, everything about running became more competitive for her.
Alex and Mia started cross country for different reasons. Before Alex did cross country, she was involved in local road races and unattached track meets. She then joined cross country because she fell more in love with running. Unlike Alex, Mia joined the team originally because her sister had run and always talked about how much fun she had. Mia wanted to give it a try. Though Mia didn’t share the same passion for running as Alex did, they both loved the sport.
“Personally, I am not big on running whatsoever, but when it comes to cross country, it is something more than just running,” Mia explained. “The atmosphere at meets, everyone encouraging each other, and the memories made make it so much more than just running, and that’s why I enjoy it so much.”
According to Mia, whether you’re first, last, or somewhere in between, cross country is more than what it seems from the outside eye.
Cross-country is physically demanding; however, it is just as mentally demanding. Both Alex and Mia described the team aspect of cross country as very motivating and driving. They both expressed teammates pushing them to go further and not to give up. Alex described her team as being a way to “mentally stay in the race.”
This season, the cross country team has already had about a half dozen meets. Though neither team has come first in any large meet, they’re both still working hard. Each runner has their own set goals for the season, whether that’s in sectionals or everyday workouts. As a team, the main goal is to win meets and obtain faster times. With TVLs about a month away, each runner will continue to work hard in hopes of bettering themselves every race.
