School has finally begun again! With the hustle and bustle of a new school year comes the arrival of a myriad of activities. Most apparent of all, however, is the opening for a new sports season! Along with their new classes, the cross country team practices for the start of their 2017-2018 season. The road to success is not an easy one, as the team is sure to tell you.

“Practices always follow a schedule,” says senior Ashleigh Weismiller, one of the captains of the cross country team. “Mondays and Wednesdays are usually harder runs, and we do mile repeats, 400 meter repeats, or hill workouts.” The girls work to increase their running speed on these days. “The rest of the days are recovery days.”

“To recover, we go on longer, slower runs Tuesdays and Thursdays,” adds co-captain, senior Audrey Skaggs. “We also run at parks like Queeny, Creve Coeur Lake, and Forest Park, which is very fun!”

The cross country season begins on August 24th, where the team will race at Arnold City Park in the Fleet Feet Kickoff, and it ends with state championships on November 4th. The team has around 20 members this year, with seniors Audrey Skaggs, Ashleigh Weismiller, Kennedy Orban, Mary Baker James, and Sarah Alexander as captains of the team. As the time for a new season draws nearer, the girls expect it to be challenging. Practices are difficult, but the races are a different matter entirely.

“The races are 5ks, meaning they are 3.1 miles,” explains Audrey. “My favorite race is at Forest Park and the hardest race is at Sioux Passage, because it is straight hills the entire time.”

Despite the impending difficulty, the girls hold their heads up high. They run with hopes of both making it to state and improving as athletes.

“Personally,” says Ashleigh, “I hope to make it to state, because last year was the only year I didn’t go, and it would just be nice to finish off strong. Hopefully the team will work hard and do well throughout the season.”

“Really, the season is about having fun and reaching goal times,” Audrey says, “which every girl is sure to do!”