crossing the finish line

Bridget Belden staff writer

Here at Central, the boy’s cross country team is a team-dependent sport, with three captains to help lead. “The seniors, for instance, contribute to leadership and teamwork [because] they all are in charge of groups on the team, so they have responsibilities in that way,” explains head coach Bryan Burns. For the captains, making sure their teammates feel comfortable and welcome is a key aspect in their duties. “[The captains] took it amongst themselves to just make sure everybody felt like they were part of the team,” Burns states. It’s important for members of the team to have an environment where they can push each other and themselves to break physical and mental limits, “[We worked to build] a healthy, safe space for that group of guys to work and train,” says Bauer. With such comradery developing from a supportive environment, team members not only develop themselves as athletes, but also form strong friendships that extend outside of cross country. “I’ve definitely made a lot of friends on the team, but also friends from other teams,” shares captain Joe Muha. “I [also] have friends that have graduated years ago that I’m still really close with.” Bauer expresses similar sentiments when thinking about the brotherhood he formed with some of his teammates. “This year, our group…of [the] top seven guys really got close and became a strong little tribe,” he explains.

Cross country serves as a major way to grow athletically and as a person, allowing members of the team to develop lifelong skills. For captain Kyle Roeters, those skills were “not giving up,… determination, and just pushing others [and] making sure you get the best out of everyone,” he lists. Similarly, Bauer finds that “learning to be alone is super important…it’s so easy to never be alone nowadays,” he points out. “It really allows me time to process and just understand life and who I am and who I want to be, and I think for that reason, runners are some of the most mature people I know for their age.”

Being successful at cross country is not solely dependent on running ability. “I think people should do cross country because it really helps you push your mind past what you thought you were capable of…and you don’t have to be the fastest,” Bauer observes. This year, the hard effort of the boys cross country team paid off when they won regionals and earned second place in division one states. “We really get to see all the work that we put in and how we’re able to compete,” explains Muha. Bauer’s favorite part of the past cross country season has been going to states, “when it’s go-time and you’ve got to… show everybody that you have what it takes,” he reminisces.

For this year’s seniors, the cross country team has helped them become better at something they adore. Many hope that people will enjoy the sport as much as they do, because “it just makes you feel great,” concludes Muha. //