By Emma Moriarty
With the temperatures reaching the low hundreds and no clouds to be seen, most sane people stay indoors or go swimming to avoid the heat. However, Tempe Prep’s high school cross country team embraces it. No matter if it’s 118 with no shade or 85 while raining, this dedicated team will always be out after school from 3:30-5:30 running their best in order to improve and prepare for any upcoming meets.
As the team members grow older, their motivation, and their resolve, also grows stronger. Jacob Steineke shares his insight on his immense improvement since freshman year: “This year I became motivated to really be better than I was last year… I would always see the people in front of me running so fast and finally decided that is who I want to be, and who I want to pass.” Jacob has been finishing second on the boys team for every race so far, thus showing how he really is hitting his goal.
Jacob also motivates his good friends Trevor Kerber and Blake Carter to do better and work harder at practice. Blake explains, “Cross country is a lot more difficult this year…but that’s only because we are trying harder and putting in more effort to improve.” The extreme heat probably does not help either; we must beware of global warming.
Rachel Dinh, a new member who joined cross country this year with no previous junior high experience, has also reached great heights. Rachel finished third in the meet hosted by Northwest Christian and improved her time even though it was a scorching 104-degree, cloudless day. Rachel’s older brother, Victor Dinh, was also an accomplished runner and the team captain last year. Rachel explains how her brother motivates her: “Victor was really an amazing runner and I try every day to reach the same heights he did. Cross country is really about guts and staying mentally tough as well as physically.” Well said. It is very difficult to motivate oneself to continue running when it feels like Mother Nature is against you.
Some runners from the junior high team have also joined cross country now that they are freshmen. Steven Veenstra shares what the transition from 2 miles in the winter to a 5k in the fall is like: “It is definitely much more difficult. It’s much hotter and farther, but I want to be faster in all aspects of life and physically is just one of them. I also want to be healthy and cross country helps me reach my goals.”
This is exactly what Tempe Prep students should be earning from sports: increased motivation and a desire to improve upon oneself. Here’s to the dedicated members of the high school cross country team!