As the school year begins, the Boys Cross Country team spends the season together, building endurance and running towards their goals. Whether they are running in practices or at meets, these athletes show dedication every step of the way.
The athletes on the team are guided by Coach Sean Voorhies, who stresses tradition while also thriving to have a steady growth. He believes that this season is on maintaining success while working towards bigger goals.
As Voorhies states, “The cross country team is looking to build on the successes of the previous years. The boys team has spent all summer putting in a solid amount of effort and mileage. The team hopes to have plenty of individual success, as well as carry on a tradition of the team winning a conference championship. The team hopes to compete well in the Trumbull County Championships and the District meet. In addition to the traditional meets, the boys and girls teams traveled to Painesville, Ohio to compete in a night race.”
Coach Voorhies’ words show the balance of pride that he has within his program as well as the confidence he has for the opportunities ahead. The night race was a specific highlight for him as it gave his team to try something new which allowed them to race under the lights, show school spirit, and feel the adrenaline throughout the race.
However for the runners themselves, the team is about more than just the times they ran. For many of these athletes, cross country has been a way to grow as a person as much as a runner.
Junior Nicolas Seikel describes how being apart of the team has shaped him, “During the time that I have done cross country, I have met a lot of new people and have always found new ways to improve myself. This year our team has gotten smaller, but we still train and have fun when practicing. Through out the year we have team dinners where we meet up to eat and play games. We also go to a cross country camp in the summer where we meet a lot of other teams and people, as well as learn new things about running. We also like how our coach, Mr. Voorhies, is supportive of us and pushes us to improve day by day. Overall this season has been fun and hope that we do good for the rest of the season.”
For Seikel and the other athletes, the laughter and the memories with the team are just as memorable as crossing the finish line. These traditions help bring the team closer and give them that connection that leads on to race day, when the encouragement from a teammate can make a difference between giving up and pushing forward.
Even with the fun and bonding at center, the team knows cross country demands mental toughness. Every runner has faced different challenges but the competitive fire continuously drives the runners forwards.
Junior Hudson Lasher speaks about the toughness needed to succeed in this sport, “The winners in this sport are chosen by who has the most resilience and is willing to undergo the biggest challenges. Mr. Voorhies trains us very hard and for the people with the strongest mentality this only makes us better. Every time we come to a meet we come with high expectations for ourselves and a competitive fire that carries us through.”
For Lasher and his teammates, that fire is what keeps their legs moving when the finish line still feels far away. While cross country may look like an individual sport, Lasher’s perspective shows how much it’s about the team pushing one another to stay strong despite hard moments within the race.
Through their coach’s guidance, team traditions, and shared spirited of resilience, the boys cross country team is more than just a group of athletes, they are a family. As they begin to get ready for big races this season, what really stands out is not only there determination as athletes, but also their commitment towards each other. For them cross country isn’t about just running miles, it is about running together.
