Kayla Shawbestof2017Comment

"Seven years ago I made a choice to run cross country, it's the best decision I've ever made"

Kayla Shawbestof2017Comment
"Seven years ago I made a choice to run cross country, it's the best decision I've ever made"

Cross Country has taught me more in life that I could put into words. My coaches always believed in me even when I wanted to give up. I ran in every race. I raced when I was injured. I raced when I was sick. I even raced when I was extremely exhausted and not recovered from the meets previously in the week. 


I ran all 3 years in middle school. All my friends ran. That’s all I knew. My freshman year I switched schools. This meant I knew nobody and had left my friends. I turned to the one thing I knew, cross country. Like in middle school all my friends came from this amazing sport. Because my school does not have many people or a middle school team, we failed to have 5 runners my sophomore and junior years. The start of my senior season began with 4 girls. I wanted to start and end my high school running career with a placing team. And just that happened. We ran with 6 girls for most of our meets. As a team we made school history by placing 6th in the league. This may seem like a not so good place to many schools, but this is why I run. To have an accomplishment like that. 


PR after PR, meet after meet, team dinners after team dinners, I didn’t think it would end. Sadly today, October 28th, I ran my last. The words I’m proud of you finally meant something to me more than anything in the world. Thank you Coach. Thank you teammates. Thank you spectators. Thank you Mom. Thank you for everything you’ve done. I hope to inspire others as much as this amazing sport has. I am forever grateful for this sport.

- Kayla Shaw 

Anonymousbestof20171 Comment

A Letter to Non-Cross Country Runners

The fall sports season in my small town is centered around football and volleyball. Cross country is at the very bottom of the sports totem pole. No one cares about our sport. And we know that. We get that.

Anonymousbestof20171 Comment
A Letter to Non-Cross Country Runners
AnonymouskneeinjuryComment

Running Sucks... Or so I thought.

Running sucks. Or so I thought. Since my dad and my older siblings ran it was pretty much expected of me to run too, so when I was I middle school I hopped on the train and oh boy was it tough. I constantly struggled and quite honestly I hated it. I was the slowest person on the girls team during cross country (granted I would still finish top 20 most races) and I even had the chance to go to the state meet but I didn’t take it because I knew that I’d probably finished around the last girl.

AnonymouskneeinjuryComment
Running Sucks... Or so I thought.
Michael Fountainbestof2017, parents perspectiveComment

Cross Country through the eyes of a parent

Yes, My wife and I are those crazy parents who run all over the course and cheer for every member of the team. We work to know each runners name, where they generally finish in accordance to the rest of the team, what outside factors tend to impact their performance and offer some encouragement while they fight to the finish. Why do we do that?

Michael Fountainbestof2017, parents perspectiveComment
Cross Country through the eyes of a parent