THE LAST BANQUET

Good evening everyone,

Most of you probably should know who I am, but for those of you who are a little late to the program or don’t recognize me because of the social experiment I like to call “No Shave November”: My name is Ben Kaufman and this is my second year as the captain of the boys cross country team. 

Sanding up here in front of dozens of people as the captain of a high school varsity athletic establishment is something that I would never expect to have to do up until about a year ago. Growing up, I was never what you’d call a “sporty” child; my parents and longtime friends can attest to this. I played soccer and tee ball just like pretty much everyone else I knew, but to put it in perspective in 6th grade little league baseball I batted .142, the lowest batting average by far on the team.

Going into highschool, I honestly thought I was going to be a soccer player in the fall and a swimmer in the winter, saying those plans didn't come true is an understatement, though I do still help coach the middle school swim team. So how did I end up running XC? 

To be completely honest I joined pretty much on a whim and never really expected it to be something that I excelled in. After a largely uneventful soccer season in 8th grade, and hearing lots rumors that high school soccer was highly competitive, I wasn’t very eager to try out in the fall of 2013, so I didn’t. So how did a kid who had never ran more than 3 miles in his life end up loving to run 3.1 as fast as possible? Like I said earlier it was a uneducated decision hastily made, that ended up helping to define my whole high school experience. 

Basically it came down to this, I had ran track in middle school and was decent at the 800m run, and had ran a 6:00 mile in gym so I thought why not? I thought it was a good Idea to have a sport to keep me occupied and meet some new friends so I showed up to the first week of practice with some junky old running shoes and gave it a go.

Saying that those first 6 weeks were the most physically painful weeks of my life is a huge understatement. I would waddle home from morning practice. Sit on the couch or lie in bed until 4pm waddle back out to afternoon practice, then come home and fall asleep at like 8 pm. It probably didn’t help that I went from not having run in roughly 3 months to running 4 miles, but hey I made it, right?

So why am I telling this little story? It serves to show that the way I started running cross country was hardly conducive to to having any sort of success in the sport, or really in general. When the going got tough, I quit soccer and made a huge commitment that I knew nothing about. Without the support of my coaches, my family, or my fellow runners, I probably wouldn’t be here today.

First of all, I’d like to to thank my family that I love so much. Mom and Dad, you’ve been here since the beginning. Though you no longer have to drive me both ways to practice two times a day every single day over the summer, you were willing to do so my entire freshman year. But obviously your influence extends far beyond just driving. 

At nearly every single one of the 39 meets in which I’ve run over the past 4 seasons, at least one of you and oftentimes both of you have been there to support me. From the triumphant highs of achieving my varsity letter at the end of my sophomore season and earning all league honors my Junior and Senior years, to the absolute lows of missing out on a medal by only 2 places at the Frosh/Soph invite and having my shoe fall off resulting in a season’s worst time at counties my sophomore year, you have been there for me. Cross country is not an easy sport to watch, oftentimes having to drive for 30 min tor more just to see maybe a combined minute of me sweating my ass of and not responding to your cheers at all. Yet you did it tens of times without ever asking anything in return

For this, I cannot thank you enough. Without you there guiding me every step of the way, I wouldn’t have made it to where I am today. Thank you

Also, shout out to my brothers Brad, and Blake, my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and everyone else who couldn’t be here tonight but came to one of my meets. Every single cheer helped propel me to where I am today, and every single one meant the world to me

Next I would like to take the time to thank my coaches. First of all I have to recognize the fact that I can be an incredibly sassy, irritating person to deal with at times. Though we may have butted heads sometimes, maybe even a lot of times, over the past four years, your instruction and counseling has made me into the runner that I am today. 

Coach Richardson, your incessant nagging about how I need to stand up straighter and “work the hills” finally sunk in. I no longer look like a hunchback by the end of races, and the uphills have become one of my favorite places to pass people during races. Overall your’e the fun yet knowledgeable coach, who once during a race when my shoe was untied and about to fall off turned to coach B and said “well that’s not good” 

Coach Brookhouse and Coach Bowers, you may not be the head coaches but that doesn’t make you any less important. Taking the time to do the little things like timing mile and 2 mile splits at every race oftentimes goes unnoticed but is also vital to the success of the team on both an individual and team level. You guys also provide both comedic relief and helpful running tips that have certainly aided in my growth over the years and I wanted you to know how much I appreciate that. 

Finally, coach Stration. In the interest of time, I'll refrain from repeating any bald jokes or affectionate “nicknames” that us runners have come up with over the years and skip right to the important stuff. In essence you have probably played the largest role in my success and development over the years. The amount of time spent, and the sacrifices you make for me, and for us as a team aren’t usually recognized, and I want to change that. 

You wake up at ungodly to go before the team and set the tent up on weekend meets, then afterwards you stay up late making the race results sheets. You make the race maps with inspirational quotes and organize all the ram photos on the Flickr page. And these are just the little things. Coming to every single practice while also having a “real job” is, what I can only imagine to be, a nearly impossible feat. You motivate us before every practice and meet, and organize workouts that are focused towards us becoming the best runners that we can be.

Finally, you put up with me and the rest of the athletes’ shenanigans on a constant basis. Though we don’t always agree on everything, it would be ridiculous for me to ignore your significance. Thank you for everything that you do.

Last, but certainly not least, I must congratulate my fellow athletes.

To the freshmen, you all made it through your first season! I’ve been in your shoes, and it might seem like you are only just beginning your high school journey, and that is true. However, it will fly by faster than you could ever imagine. I can still remember my freshman season with such clarity, it seems ridiculous that it was 3 years ago. Make the most of the opportunities that are presented to you, both within the sport and out. Most of all, I think I speak on behalf of the whole senior class when I say don't be afraid to seek us out if you need help with anything. We aren’t scary, and we have made many of the mistakes that many of you are bound to make. Good luck to you all

To the sophomores, Congrats on finishing either your first or second year of cross country! Though it doesn’t seem possible, you are halfway done, so make the most of the time you have left. Things like college and graduation will be upon you sooner than you might think, so keep up the hard work. I know many of you had to deal with injuries and hardships, but now is not the time to throw in the towel. As with the freshmen, if you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to ask, I can be here to help if you need me. Good luck in the future

To the juniors, you have either finished your first, second or third year of the sport, and there’s only one left so cherish it. Go and make new memories with new people, so when you all are up here in just 1 short year, you can be proud of the career that you had, and you can love the people you shared it with. Junior year is so incredibly difficult, nobody can disagree with that, and so I commend you greatly for sticking with it for this long. The next year will be full of ups and down so my one piece of advice is to not lose sight of things. While it's important to prepare for the future, don't be afraid to take a break every once and awhile to just enjoy the present for what it is. Though I won't be here next year, I am rooting for your success!

Finally, my fellow seniors. Good or bad, our journey throuh high school athletics is over. Among us there are first, second third and fourth year runners, all of whom have brought something special to the table this season, and have helped support me in unique ways. Though all of you individually mean the world to me, I would be crazy to not talk about my fellow captains Tom, Finnley, Scarlett, and Nicole. 

You have been with me every single step, no pun intended, of this journey and have helped me summit every obstacle along the way. Though I was supposed be the one who knew how to lead, this season having been my second as captain, you all stepped it up in a countless number of ways, and were more helpful and motivational than myself for a vast majority of the time

You have grown to become my closest friends and I love you guys so much. As we inevitably start to go our separate ways in the rapidly approaching future, I will miss you a monumental amount. Thank you for making these past four years such a positive environment, and for helping me succeed, I would have never made it without you.

- @JKBEN10 (Benjamin Kaufman)