Well it’s finally here! The opening week of cross country and that old familiar feeling is beginning to settle in. It’s time for team pasta dinners, going to bed early on Friday nights, and crazy pre-race rituals. Personally I have a unique pre-race ritual that always gets me going for races. Every race day as soon as we finish our running warmup, I proceed to consume a Three Musketeers Bar, and listen to the song “Shipping Out to Boston” by the Dropkick Murphy’s. 
This combination of fuel and music always get my body primed and ready for a good race, despite my teammates thinking this I’m crazy.Despite the fact that racing is about to begin I hope most of us don’t forget that cross country is truly a TEAM sport. The individual facet of racing can sometimes draw a more individualistic way of thinking from us, but we have to remember the real purpose. On my team we have the motto “It’s not about Me, It’s about We.” I know this may sound cliché, but I really think I have come to truly understand what this means in the past few months.
This combination of fuel and music always get my body primed and ready for a good race, despite my teammates thinking this I’m crazy.Despite the fact that racing is about to begin I hope most of us don’t forget that cross country is truly a TEAM sport. The individual facet of racing can sometimes draw a more individualistic way of thinking from us, but we have to remember the real purpose. On my team we have the motto “It’s not about Me, It’s about We.” I know this may sound cliché, but I really think I have come to truly understand what this means in the past few months.
This past Labor Day, I was hanging out with my teammates at Adventure Landing Water Park, and it really hit me... I love these guys. I honestly can’t even imagine training by myself, or racing unattached, because it’s just not the same. There’s nothing in the world that will give you the motivation to keep pushing even when the pain is excruciating than when you know you have six other guys out there with you battling the same feeling. Nobody wants to let the other guys on their team down. This bond between teammates is what truly makes Cross Country one of the purest team sports there is. You don’t have a complete understanding of the hurt that your team is going through in a sport like baseball or basketball. This is the only sport in which all members of the team suffer equally and that is something truly special.
I’m excited to get out on the course and battle with my teammates this season, and I know they’re going to give everything they have, each and every time we get on the line together. It’s time to show your teammates how much you care. I’ll see you all out on the course!