The
pitter-patter of little feet can be heard pitter-pattering on the sidewalk
along Military Ave this fall.
Wait a
second . . . little feet? Scratch
that-- big feet. Senior feet, to be exact.
This
year’s cross country team has 4 seniors who have joined the team for their
first time ever-- which seems a little odd, considering how physically exerting
the sport can be.
The 4
new seniors are Mary Hinrichs, Bonnie Bost, Christina Knowles and Kylie
McGonigal.
Cross country head
coach Roger Wright said the team usually averages 1-2 first-year-runner seniors
a year. He offered a possible explanation as to why the number was larger this
year. “It’s usually because people have wanted to do it all four years, but
maybe they were scared to come out for the team . . . But they’ve decided it’s
their last chance to do it,” said Wright.
Hinrichs
and Knowles decided to join the team after a conversation over lunch last
school year. “We were talking about
running, and we were both like, ‘we should do cross country!’ We had talked about it the year before, so
we decided that this year, we just have to do it,” said Hinrichs. “So we ran all summer, got up early on the
first day of school, and went to practice.”
“We’re
not good, we just do it to run,” said Hinrichs.
Despite
this perception, these new seniors have had a positive impact on the team.
“They’re
all really positive, and help motivate the team,” said junior runner Anne
Borghaff.
Wright had only
good things to say about the new seniors. “They’ve been a good addition. They help generate spirit, and just make us
a better team.”