Now that October is coming to an end so is cross country. I ran my final race at districts over the weekend. The race was at Glenoak which is where I ran my very first race in seventh grade, so it was a full-circle moment getting to run my last race there. I am really sad that it is all over. Usually I’m sad that a season has ended, but I at least have next year to look forward to. Unfortunately,  there isn’t a next year since I’m graduating. My teammates are what made cross country so fun. I am going to miss them the most. But let’s flip that frown upside down and go over the best moments throughout my six years of running cross country!

Let’s start things off the year it all began: seventh grade. At this point in time, Coach Varner was coaching middle school cross country. There were quite a few girls in my grade and one girl in eighth grade on the team. When I think back on this season, I just remember thinking how much better it was than soccer. I really enjoyed everything about cross country. I remember early on in the season there was a girl who joined for one day and all she did was walk to Circle K and get a slushie. I liked how the team felt like a family compared to previous sports I had been in. There were a lot of traditions we took part in such as singing the South American countries’ songs and hiding from the coach if he was late to practice. Overall, it was a great first season that introduced me to a sport I would do throughout the rest of school. 

The next year was eighth grade. This season was even better than my first. We got a new coach that year, Coach Winkler. The team had changed a lot; a lot of girls from my grade quit and there were a lot of fresh seventh graders on the team. That season was also when I met the queen herself, Anna Reineke. She had joined the cross-country team and it was the start of our friendship. A standout memory of this season was when we hid from the coach. The coach was late so we hid in front of the middle school. After about ten minutes of hiding, we went back to the sheds. She still wasn’t there so we thought she just wasn’t going to show up. Everyone was debating her whereabouts and we all felt rebellious for having hid. Then we looked over and saw her walking by the tennis courts. We were all trying to tell if she was mad or happy. Well, that question was soon answered when she got to us. We got in trouble and lost getting to play H&S that week. Speaking of H&S, it is a game that we play. It stands for hide and seek. We would be divided into two teams and had the entire park to run and hide. We played it every Friday in eighth grade which is another thing that made that year so fun. The girls had a hiding spot that we hid in every Friday and the boys never found us. We also played hot potato with a tennis ball every time we stretched. I remember getting second at All County that year which was fun. 

Then we have my freshmen season. This season was very different than the previous two, probably because I was now in high school. There were quite a bit of senior girls on the team that year. The coach was Coach Sparks and Coach Riley. There was a lot of getting used to how things work on a high school team. I always felt reluctant to accept when a girl would offer me a ride home because I’d feel bad. Then I soon began asking for rides. I do have to admit, this season was quite lonely. It’s not that the seniors were mean, they just didn’t want to talk to the freshmen that much. There also was only one sophomore and a few juniors, so the team was pretty small. There was one senior who was very nice to me, Hannah Perkowski. She was hilarious and always gave me a ride. A standout moment from this season is when another girls cross country team spray painted some trees in the park. They made it look as if we did it by writing “Dover Girls XC ” on the trees. Obviously, when it was discovered everyone thought we had done it. We got in a lot of trouble; the seniors got the worst of it. It was even in the newspaper. Through Snapchat screenshots, we were able to prove that we were not the culprits.  

Now for possibly the best season of all time, Sophomore season. Where do I even begin? What really made the season was the team. The upperclassmen were stacked, we had Audrey Wallick, Julia Weaver, Holly Perkowski, Nevin Wise, and Leigh Arbogast. They all made everyday practice so much fun. They made sure to include the underclassmen in everything that they did, which was really nice, especially considering the previous season. We did a lot of team bonding over the summer, such as Julia’s magnificent hoedown. Everyone lifted each other up rather than creating competition within the team. We were able to do our best while also not putting tremendous amounts of pressure on ourselves. It was genuinely one of the best seasons. We had also just got new coaches, Coach Mckee and Coach B. I remember one day at practice, we were supposed to go on an easy run, so we all ran to Wendy’s. We got there and we ate a frosty, which was a huge mistake. Everyone felt so sick when we got back. For whatever reason there was a karaoke machine out when we got back. The seniors started screaming to Nicki Minaj, and it was incredible. Shoutout Audoodoo for giving me a ride to and from practice every day, you are a real one. Everyone was treated equally and it was such a great season. And who could forget the elite dress-up days we had? Every Friday was a different dress-up theme and I tell you everyone went all out. Not only would we dress up, but we would get into character and it was hilarious. Plus, we ended it with a bang at Julia’s cross-country Halloween party. I miss those seniors so much.

Next up we have my Junior season. This was a strange season. We didn’t have a senior girl on the team so there wasn’t much leadership. I also couldn’t drive and since Audoodoo graduated I no longer had a ride. It was also a year of changes so that played a part. The team got a lot more strict and competitive that year as well. Nobody participated in dress-up days this year, which was sad. I still really enjoyed the time I spent with the team this year. The freshmen were epic and we had a lot of laughs. A stand-out memory is when we ran to Dollar General. All I have to say about that experience is candy corn pumpkins. This was also the year that me and Anna Reineke created our handshake. Another memory is when the whole team went to Pangrazios. We were ordering in country accents, and the food took forever to come out. When it finally came, the waitress spilled water on Addy’s pizza. It turned into an H2O pizza. But yeah, it wasn’t the best season but it was definitely fun. 

And now, for my final season. Senior season was epic. I probably laughed the most this season out of any others, and that’s all thanks to my teammates. Shout out to Lyela Miller for providing top-tier comedy this season. It all started in the summer, as it usually does, which was very enjoyable this year because I could finally drive to practice. We did quite a bit of team bonding over the summer as well. The team did incredible this year in regards to performance. It was the best it’s been since I started running. Standout memories for me this year would be when we ran at the towpath trail over the summer, as well as driving Lyela and Addie home from practice. Going up to Canton with Emmy and Lyela was unforgettable. And overall, getting to do all the things that come with being a senior on a team was enjoyable. I asked some of my teammates what their favorite memories from this season were. Reese Penix, a freshman on the team had this to say, “My favorite moment was ’Where’s the route.’” Reese hit’em with the inside joke. Next, I asked Emmy Daniel what her favorite memory was, “My favorite memory was when we performed a concert in the bathroom but then a girl walked in and apologized for ruining it. I also really enjoyed the time we played on the playground before a meet, so much happened in the span of thirty minutes,”  another great memory remembered by Emmy. Overall, there are many good memories from this season to recount. My teammates are what made my Senior season so fun and memorable. 

So now that it is all over, I look back on it very blessed that God led me to this sport. I would have been miserable if I stayed in soccer forever. I want to thank Audrey Wallick for recommending that I run cross country in seventh grade because running cross country has been the highlight of my middle school and high school experience. I am going to miss getting to see my teammates every day after practice the most. But yeah, those were my thoughts on every season I ran cross country.