Numerous sports have evolved since they were originally developed. Helmets, pads, and forward passes were added to football to prevent serious injury. Various rules, such as an open-bottomed net, were created to increase the tempo of basketball. However, the average adult may believe that the sport of cross-country doesn’t appear to have evolved from its origins; if they looked closely they would be surprised. To gain an insight from this sport’s past and present, I will compare distances, practices, and amount of competitors between cross-country in the 1980’s and now.
The general concept of cross-country developed in the early 1800’s in England. Teenagers imitated rabbit hunts by chasing each other through forests over long distances. As …show more content…
When races were 2 miles long, cross-country practices focused on speed workouts. Speed workouts involve running at a fast pace for a short time, imitating the pace at early meets. From a coach’s point of view, Obermann agrees with the ideology of early fast paced practices. He explains that running abnormally fast builds anaerobic muscles, helping you run faster over short distances. Early harriers only needed to practice this anaerobic pace because it was all they needed to compete in 2-mile races.
Although fast pace workouts are still important, in modern cross-country practices, we also run over extended amounts of distance. Coaches believe that a solid base of mileage increases leg strength and endurance necessary for longer races. Coach Obermann often varies fast pace with slower, long distance practices because they help you improve in different ways. These slow, long mileage practices improve a runner’s aerobic pace by building up cardiovascular muscles such as their heart. Because he assigns both slow and fast pace workouts, Obermann differentiates the level of intensity based on previous workouts or meets to keep his team both prepared and injury free. For example, if our team just competed at a meet, he would assign a slow, easy workout, a 5-mile jog, the next day. However, the day after that, he would …show more content…
Cross-country participation at Crestwood High School has varied since its establishment. During the 1980’s, a couple of Cresco’s varsity teams competed successfully, boasting a decent amount of harriers, but due to a poor coaching staff, the number of participants dwindled down to the point of barely having enough runners for a competitive team. When Coach Obermann took over coaching cross-country for a second time and instituted a junior high team, the numbers once again began to increase.
Over a span of 15 years, Coach Obermann has created a competitive cross-country program that has constructed several state-level runners. Also greatly increasing the participation levels of our team, Obermann credits the uniqueness of the sport with attracting athletes who want to compete in a different way, enabling runners to focus on supporting each other and improving themselves mentally and
The general concept of cross-country developed in the early 1800’s in England. Teenagers imitated rabbit hunts by chasing each other through forests over long distances. As …show more content…
When races were 2 miles long, cross-country practices focused on speed workouts. Speed workouts involve running at a fast pace for a short time, imitating the pace at early meets. From a coach’s point of view, Obermann agrees with the ideology of early fast paced practices. He explains that running abnormally fast builds anaerobic muscles, helping you run faster over short distances. Early harriers only needed to practice this anaerobic pace because it was all they needed to compete in 2-mile races.
Although fast pace workouts are still important, in modern cross-country practices, we also run over extended amounts of distance. Coaches believe that a solid base of mileage increases leg strength and endurance necessary for longer races. Coach Obermann often varies fast pace with slower, long distance practices because they help you improve in different ways. These slow, long mileage practices improve a runner’s aerobic pace by building up cardiovascular muscles such as their heart. Because he assigns both slow and fast pace workouts, Obermann differentiates the level of intensity based on previous workouts or meets to keep his team both prepared and injury free. For example, if our team just competed at a meet, he would assign a slow, easy workout, a 5-mile jog, the next day. However, the day after that, he would …show more content…
Cross-country participation at Crestwood High School has varied since its establishment. During the 1980’s, a couple of Cresco’s varsity teams competed successfully, boasting a decent amount of harriers, but due to a poor coaching staff, the number of participants dwindled down to the point of barely having enough runners for a competitive team. When Coach Obermann took over coaching cross-country for a second time and instituted a junior high team, the numbers once again began to increase.
Over a span of 15 years, Coach Obermann has created a competitive cross-country program that has constructed several state-level runners. Also greatly increasing the participation levels of our team, Obermann credits the uniqueness of the sport with attracting athletes who want to compete in a different way, enabling runners to focus on supporting each other and improving themselves mentally and