The Collierville High School Cross Country team recently traveled to Hendersonville, Tennessee for their final race State Championship race. The top 7 female and male athletes raced for the team representing the hard work they have put into the season. They have endured constant early morning practices, running several speed workouts, some on the track and others on bumpy terrain all to get in shape to run the best possible. Every other day they run consistent easy runs to stack on the mileage and build up their endurance. They have been watching their sleep, making nutritious eating choices, and taking care of their bodies with full recovery between training sessions. Running is not just physical but relies most on one’s mentality. The coaches and teammates are always there to encourage and uplift each other to persevere through every race the best way possible.
Wednesday, November 1st the dragons checked out of school and headed on the road to arrive in Hendersonville that afternoon for a “shakeout.” A shakeout is practiced the day before every race where the team pre-runs the course at an easy jog to get a feel for the course. They note all the turns, hills, bumps, spots to pick up speed and to settle in, where to pass people, where to start the finishing kick, and so much more. After that, they got well rested and headed Thursday, November 2nd to the course to compete. This was it, all that they had been practicing for.
The female and male athletes performed well. For the girls, Scarlett Nash came in first with a time of (19:39.78), followed by Addie Bogda (20:48.85), Maya McCloskey (20:52.73), Addie Sharp (20:52.81), Lauren Moerbe (21:16.54), Ava Lang (21:28.79), and Maggie Webber (21:33.54). For the boys, Reid Gulstrom came in first with a time of (16:29.36), followed by Ty Dust (16:30.15), Jacob Roper (16:47.14), Andrew Graham (17:21.97), Colin Sabo (17:27.40), John McAlvin (17:43.47), and Thatcher Groce (17:47.33). These dragons showed up and showed out. If you see one of them be sure to give them a “kudos” as they like to say!
