They make their way up Genesee, trek themselves through and around University City to cover their daily miles, and then right as the 2:12 bells ring, the boys and girls of University City High School’s Cross Country Team push their way back onto UC’s student parking lot, jogging comfortably at strong speeds through under the marquee toward the gym, a stunning sight we exiting students are sure to all be familiar with.
The runners of UC’s Cross Country Team, however, were not always so comfortable with their miles of trekking in the hot afternoon air. Under the guidance of Coach Jim McCarthy, the runners worked through a rigorous two-month summer training and a week-long intensive Sequoia Running Camp before most students even started packing for the school year (uccrosscountry.com).
“I became a cross-country runner not when the school year started, but during the summer, during the long hours I spent under the Mission Bay and Rancho Penasquitos sun,” said JV Cross Country Runner Haram Pulido.
The Boys Team got a new coach this year, Mr. Marco Anzure. Junior Sophia Volk said, “He [Anzure] is extremly talented, one of the best in the county.”
Continuing into the school year, Cross Country Team members are presented with a day-to-day set of miles to run from the start of sixth period to the end of the school day as their warm-up: JV 4-6 and varsity 6-10 (uccrosscountry.com).
After their warm ups, the members train their bodies through core and circuit workouts and both aerobic and anaerobic exercises, “strengthening all muscles and functions of the body,” according to Varsity Cross Country Runner Victor Bennett. “I [then] conclude every practice with either a small lecture on the sport’s technique or a morale-boosting comment. I like to keep their minds and hearts conditioned, too,” said McCarthy.
Not just a fall sport, cross country tends to lead its members toward an active lifestyle year long. “After the summer training, we polish our runners in the fall for the races, and some go on to train in the winter and join Track and Field Team in the spring,” said McCarthy.
With such rigorous training, it’s no surprise that UC’s Cross Country Team has been successful in its meets all season long. During the biggest one of them yet, the two-mile League Competition on October 4, UC runners took the lead through to the end, beating out those of Saint Augustine High School, La Jolla High School, and Our Lady of Peace Academy (uccrosscountry.com).
The Cross Country Team usually makes a trip for big competitions at least once every year. Last year it was Minnesota, and this year the team traveled to Stanford to compete in the 2011 Stanford Invitational. The invitational had 3,088 entries and 14 of those entries were from UC, seven boys and seven girls.
“We’re not so much surprised as we are proud. The training really does pay off, before, during, and after a race. We’ve all worked hard, both varsity and JV,” said Bennett.