Cross country: an individual team sport
The Cross Country Girls Team begin their race at the Watson-Ford Invitational where they placed second overall.
A diverse group of students with a passion for individual running, but like a family nonetheless. This is the White Station Cross Country Team.
Filled with motivation and dedication, the cross country team looks forward to having athletes competing in the state championship. They have had individuals competing in state every year since 2003, and hope to continue this trend for the 2017-2018 season.
Although each runner competes separately in each event-running 5K’s- the team still functions as a whole, sharing traditions, food, and their passions for running.
Chloe Willis (12), has been participating in cross country for a little over four years and is planning on continuing her running career throughout college.
“We’re very diverse and accepting of a lot of things and people,” Willis said. “None of us are afraid to be ourselves in front of everybody. We’re all super weird: not weird in a bad way, but weird in a good way.” The team is supportive of each other; each runner knows what the other is going through when they compete.
Hammond Humber (11), a runner of four and a half years, started running to join his friends in an afterschool activity, but soon realized his love for running alongside them, as well as the occasional frisbee playing at practices. The team’s fun-loving spirit helps them grow closer.
“You have your friends to push you and help you get through it, but when it comes down to it, if something needs to change it’s up to you,” Humber said.
Runners are responsible for meeting their own goals, but they also have the whole team cheering them on to strive to be their best, which is what makes the team unique. Their bond is unbreakable, and grows stronger with each practice, pre-game team dinner and race.
“You get to push yourself as hard as you want. You can always place by yourself,” Willis said.
The White Station Cross Country athletes might be timed individually, but their friendships and dedication to the sport allow them to develop a bond that continues to grow during and after of the season.
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