Cross country runners push through dog days to find success as leaves begin to fall
Rain or shine, the unpredictable Wisconsin weather has yet to wreak havoc on the boys and girls cross country team’s success. As ‘pack mentality’ often leads to individual and team success, early season practices have focused on creating better relationships with one another to build a stronger team. This has been an even higher priority this season with several new additions to the team, many of them being freshmen.
At their September 10 meet in South Milwaukee, the team ran right into victory when they brought home six individual medals.
"The weather can always be a challenge,” Coach Stephanie Polak said. “We've had some meets that have been super hot, and we just have to adjust to that.”
On top of the heat waves, athletes have been contracting injuries from practices and meets. For Polak, this is a serious worry if the team is to meet the goal she has set for them.
“For the girls squad, our goal is to make it to team state,” she said. “So I want everyone to stay healthy throughout the season.”
The girls squad has grown together despite disparate levels of experience..
“So far the season is going great,” senior Faith Galica said. "We got some new freshmen to come out and everyone has been working super hard to make it back to state.”
After many of the varsity runners graduated, the team had to recruit and rebuild so they could maximize their chances of winning.
"Running is a really good way to cope with stress,” freshman Meredith Stellpflug said. “It's also really fun to have a good bond with your teammates."
The young athletes show promise and Polak and is happy with the way they’ve been performing.
"We've got a lot of young runners and they're really stepping up and doing great things for us,” she said. “They have been running strong for varsity.”
New and returning athletes find the family aspect with the team one of the best parts.
“There's a special type of bond with your teammates in cross country since it's such a diverse sport,” Galicia said. “There's a mutual understanding of what is expected of you each week when you race and it's a lot. Racing isn't always fun, but the team makes it a fun experience as a whole.”
Having a supportive team makes it easier when challenges arise.
“The boys and girls are getting along great,” Polak said. “They support each other. So even if we have bad weather, like the heat, we really just support one another, and we rely on one another."
The boys team has encountered some setbacks besides the weather.
“We weren’t ready for the season at the start,” senior Bryant Wright said. “We didn't train enough over the summer and then we weren't ready for the first meet.”
Being unprepared and not properly conditioned pushed the boys to work hard in practice and fight to improve.
“We've been practicing five days a week doing long distance and short distance,” Wright said. “We've all gotten better throughout the season.”
The boys have been putting in work at practice to meet their goals.
“On the boys side, we want to place higher in the conference,” Polak said. “I would also like to see some all-conference recognition on both sides.”
Wright has high goals for himself and is striving to make them a reality.
“My hope is to improve every single meet,” he said. “By conference, I want us all to get our best individual times which would lead us to be one of the better teams in the conference.”
Achieving personal records requires serious dedication.
“Your fitness and how well you race pretty much depends on how much you run,” Galica said. “I was able to manage this with lots of cross training and dedication.”
Galica persevered through tough times, which ultimately led to her success.
“During my time injured, I've spent countless hours on the bike and elliptical and in the pool aqua jogging,” she said.
Regardless of where the team is in the rankings, Polak is proud all the runners and how hard they work.
“I'm super happy with how both the girls and the boys teams are performing,” she said. “We really are a family and we go through some really difficult workouts. We do it together and we bond on our long runs.”
by Rowen Stellpflug
Published October 3, 2022
Oshkosh West Index Volume 119 Issue I