Blood, Sweat, and Tears

Coach Kelly hit the nail on the head when he said, "People who don't run cross country, don't get it obviously, how much of a team sport it is." But calling the programs we spoke with simply teams is an understatement. They are much closer than that, they are family. And that has had a dramatic effect on everyone who is in the program, from the coaching staff to the whole team. The way the elite athletes relied on their team and how much the team relied on them as well was one of the most impressive things I saw while we were visiting with the different programs. I personally would leave each visit thinking, "Wow. I wish I would have went to school there."

As in all great organizations, it starts from the top. The strong ideals, energy, and enthusiasm the the coaches have is passed on to the team. And through sweat, blood, and tears, they become family. The coaches are all very knowledgeable at their craft and have the athletes' long-term development at the forefront of their minds. The coaches feed off of the athletes energy, desire, and goals. The athletes are sponges who absorb everything the coaches have to offer. They in turn are invigorated by their coaches insight and master plans. It is a symbiotic relationship that is functioning better than a well-oiled machine.

Throughout the interviews we heard over and over again how much the team meant to these top athletes. We could their sincerity in the voices and see it in their actions. Chris Aldrich said there are days when he doesn't feel like running, but his teammates are always pushing him out the door and keeping him going. Vince McNally said having teammates to workout with for the hard sessions makes it more bearable and strengthens the team bond. The excitement in Kara Millhouse's and Neely Spence's voice when we asked about the Cumberland Valley Athletic Club team was easily recognizable. And hearing how important winning the team state title was to Carly Seymour had me cheering for the Red Devils at Hershey. And when it was official that they had won, I was extremely happy for their program. Natalie Bower talked about her third 4th place finish and how they want to make another charge at a team state title. Jim Spisak said how thankful he was that their coach was rewarding their team for the great season they had by taking them to race at the Foot Locker Northeast Regional. Similar to Carly, Rachel Wong has had sisters on her team throughout her career, and that has meant a great deal to her and made the last four years very special.

Then when you talk with all of these athlete's teammates you hear the same thing. They don't see their teammate as different. They acknowledge they are more recognizable at meets because everyone sees pictures of their teammate constantly, but that was about it. They push their teammate on runs and workouts, they same way their teammate pushes them.

The coaches also understand the talent level of their top kids and develop their workout regimen as such. But it always is about the team. Everything comes back to that. Seeing Coach Mike Craighead orchestrate his practices, having 3 groups of kids do 3 completely different things, probably would look like a circus to a passerby. But to me, it was magical. Everyone was on a different agenda, but yet they were aware of what their teammates were doing, and would offer support when they caught their breath from the coach's grueling interval session. Coach Kevin Kelly made everything flow together so smoothly, it felt as if it could be set to music watching the team workout. By believing in each other, Coach Randy Wilson has built a juggernaut in Ebensburg that is out of this world. The coaches live and breathe the the development of the athlete as an individual and with the team.

We live in the "Me Me Me" and "Now" generations, and these athletes who could be self-centered, are completely grounded because of the fundamentals and philosophies instilled in them by their families and coaches. They have all achieved many great things throughout their high school careers and hopefully will continue to do so in college. But from their words, they would not have been able to do it with out their family's support and their running family's (teammates and coaches) constant influence and encouragement throughout the years. So yes cross country is team sport, a family sport if you will, whose bonds are forged through tough hill sessions, lung-burning intervals, long runs, all the time spent preparing not just for the next race but for life.