It was a strange dream, being out in the fields on Saturday, August 31st. I was a cross country runner for my freshman year, so I knew the stickiness in the air, the electricity that buzzed all around, the encompassing exhilaration that gripped anyone who was wearing their school colors and matching baggy shorts. I recognized the patches of parents and students alike that littered the lawn, rattling away like little chirping birds when idle and suddenly crashing against the sky like popcorn whenever the runners passed them. The onlookers watched as kids of all sizes and structures gripped their sides from the cramping and dripped with sweat, their eyes set ahead of them in an intense focus on the finish line that was approximately three miles away.
I was lucky enough to stumble upon a group of freshman girls, all whom had just finished their race and were ecstatic with their results. Sarah Hoffman, Elizabeth Hoffman, Katie Stansfield, and Eriko Greeson walked as a group and, in the spirit of the meet, decided to go through my interview as such. The whole group was so filled with electricity, they immediately burst into chatter when asked how it felt when they were running. Great and awful was the overall consensus. The heat and dehydration gave them a reason to complain, and yet “in the last part, you get this burst. You just sprint for the end.” They were simply happy to finish the race; “to be here with the team… but also to know you made an accomplishment” kept their spirits high.
I dared to ask why they would cheer other teams on, noticing a group of our own Fossil girls rooting for a girl from Boltz Junior High. They simply responded, “We knew how it felt being out there. I’d want a high schooler to cheer me on if I were in middle school.” Their ambitions, which I’m sure matches the entirety of the Cross Country team, are to not only improve their running times but to get to know each other and strengthen the team through friendship.
The Cross Country team urges you to join them in their next meets during their Fall season!
Max Kuckels • Sep 22, 2013 at 5:25 pm
Great story about the Fossil Ridge Cross Country team. You used lots of metaphors which described the feeling during a race with all the supporters very well.
With that story I can easily see the picture in my head of being a part of the spectacle Cross Country. You have an amazing vocabulary and used good linking words which highlight your writing skills.