Charlie, Sophomore
| Alec, Senior
|
|---|
 "Prior to coming to CPS, I saw running as an individual sport, so when
I joined cross country as a freshman, I was solely focused on my
individual goals. I soon realized, however, that in cross country you
rely on your teammates just as much as you do in any other “team”
sport. You need 7 strong runners to win, not just a couple of front
runners. Our team thrived on this idea of the strong pack, not relying
on individuals to win the races, but rather a group of 7 or 8 that can
finish in any order. This allowed us not to provide too much pressure
on any single member, because we all knew that if we had a bad race, a
teammate would help pick up the slack. This strategy proved to be
amazingly successful this past season as we became NCS champions and
state medalists. I’ve never felt so much a part of a team as I have
felt these past two years on CPS cross country." |  "Running at CPS has changed my life. Before I joined XC in my Junior
year, I was worried that I wouldn't have the time for sports and school
at the same time. I thought that if I spent every afternoon
practicing, I'd fall behind in my homework. However, after joining
XC, just the opposite happened. XC showed me that I was really much
more capable than I had previously realized. I learned that I could
run fast, that I could run far, and, most importantly, that through
gut-wrenching pain, I had the motivation to keep on running. It was a
really trippy thing to learn, and it was, for lack of a better word,
empowering. Ultimately, the motivation which I discovered in races
ended up translating into other activities. I was willing to do more
homework. I didn't mind not having free time. I was compelled to
floss more often. I learned that you don't necessarily have to make a
tradeoff to do sports at CPS. I'm extremely happy that I found this
out, because I love the running community at CPS. Everyone is so
motivated, and everyone puts up with the same pain that I do during a
race. Before I was part of the Track and XC team, I felt like
something was missing in my CPS experience, but now I feel connected to
all the other runners, and because of that, I feel much more connected
to the school. XC ROCKS! Track too." |
