Cross country is a sport that is about finding your body’s limits and pushing past them. At Christ Church, like many small schools, the cross country team is made up of a small group of runners. The 2017 girls cross country team has only 26 members, including both JV and Varsity runners. This season is the largest team in several years, and has had much success over the course of the season. The 2017 season began during the first week of August with 7:30 am practices every day consisting of around an hour of running every morning. Practices continued into the school year during the afternoon, and runners had to learn how to balance school work with a taxing running schedule.

Each girl on the team bonded over the first few weeks of practice, and these close relationships have continued throughout the season. Cross country is a sport where your teammate’s success matters just as much as your own personal performance and every runner is encouraged to always think about the team. If someone is injured or has a disappointing performance, girls will often reach out to express their support and concern. Cooper Stansell describes the team as being “extremely close,” and she stated “no matter what position anyone is, we all encourage each other.” Many different types of girls at Christ Church will run cross country, creating a group of friends that includes all different grades, experience levels, and social groups. This unique group of people builds teamwork and friendship that lasts much longer than when the season ends.

Many runners join cross country in hopes of making friends and getting in shape, but a true love of running quickly develops with almost every runner. Adelaide Vergnolle, a seasoned cross country runner, uses running as a way to release stress in a healthy way. Many use it as a way to boost their confidence by reaching ambitious personal performance goals or as a way to get involved in the school community and experience new things.

Cross country is a challenging community-based sport that builds relationships and self esteem. The 2017 fall season has proved to be successful, with the girls team placing in the top 10 at the Greenville County meet, on track to be in the top places at the state championship meet.

The Region Championship meet takes place on Tuesday, October 24 at Landrum. The Upper State and State Championship meets take place on October 28 and November 4 at Sandhills in Columbia. See individual times and team places at sc.milesplit.com