Cross country running

The sport of cross country running has been a part of my life since I started running in the 7th grade. And as I have grown older my love of the sport has only grown to the point where running is by far my biggest passion. So today I am writing to you with the hope of sharing this passion of cross country running with your school by becoming the Varsity Cross Country Coach of the Lakewood Vikings. I would be a good cross country coach because of my coaching experience, knowledge of training philosophies, and my personal success in the sport. I have been an assistant varsity track coach at Capac High School for the past two seasons, and a third upcoming, with my focus in distance events. Also, for the past two summers I have put together the…

Cross country running is a team or individuals running sport which may consist on running through grass, wooded uphill and downhill areas and sometimes gravel roads. This is a sport men or women of all ages can participate in year round. Many cross runners become involved in the sport during their high school years and continue doing it as a way to stay fit over the years. Cross county running has been around since the beginning of time it was referred to as “hare and hound” or “the paper…

We all have something to be passionate about. Whether it's a sport, a career or a hobby, everyone has that something that they do and love that is deeply woven into our lives. This "thing" is so important that taking this one "thing" away would tear any person apart. My passion, my hunger, my "thing" is running cross country. There has never been a moment wasted on my sport due to its inherent ability to build a person's character and teach the athletes the importance of goal setting. During my…

I somehow got myself dragged into running cross country this year. Don’t get me wrong, I like playing sports. I played basketball and ran track in middle school, I just wasn’t planning on playing sports this year. The first time cross country was brought up was near the end of my 8th grade year. A parent knew I liked running and that I was going to be in high school next year, and they wanted me to try it out. “You should try it,” she told me, “you’ll really like it! I think you’d be great at…

As the legendary Olympian Jesse Owens once said, “Awards become corroded, friends gather no dust”. This was the quote that the seniors chose for the Cross Country teams t-shirt this year. The senior leaders chose this quote specifically to show how the sport isn’t just about winning, it's about the team. This year the seniors decided to show the younger kids just how the team was always supposed to be. They instilled new activities and more importantly they implemented more team building…

During his first two years as head coach of the cross country program, my coach received no pay or reimbursement. In fact, he lost money during those two years. Furthermore, he donated a lot of time to the program. He spent two or more hours a day with us, after teaching for eight hours. Then, Coach would spend hundreds of hours organizing and running fundraisers to keep cross country afloat. Moreover, Coach was an extremely hard worker. He was the cross country head coach, junior high head…

One leader whom I admire the most is my old cross country and track coach, Jim Koterba. Mr. Koterba, I still call him that from first having him as a Social Studies teacher in middle school, had one of the most challenging jobs I could image from a leadership perspective. Most people think of business’s and corporations when they think of management, but many forget that those guiding our youth everyday are just as engaged in leadership than any corporate executive. I’ve been able to view Mr.…

What do you want to happen while you’re in school? Get good grades, be great at a sport, or become more spiritual? My goals are to get straight A’s, get under 13 minutes in cross country and become closer to God. My questions are, how am I going to do that? Will I become a better person in the process of these goals? These are ways I think that I can achieve these goals this school year and become a better person in the process. My first goal that I want to focus on the most is getting…

I’m casually watching the garage sale, and out of the corner of my eye I see 7 runners briskly running down the street in perfect stride. As they come near my driveway I see it’s the Cross Country team. Led by one of my closest friends, they stop and asked me four words I will never forget, “Joel Join Cross Country”. They left leaving me mixed with emotions. I know I have lost weight but how could I possibly be a Cross Country runner? After many thoughts and dreams on Monday August 22nd I…

I had a extremely scary doctor's appointment that day. I didn't tell anybody about it at school because I was embarrassed. I has had a stomach issue for the past three years. I has to take tons of medication, but none of it seems to work. I told Jordan about the stomach issue just not that appointment. I didn't want to distract him from his next cross country meet because I knew this was a big deal for him. The doctor said something in my stomach could erupt. I felt like I was paralyzed with…