Having a group this large also means we have the opportunity to have more success, triumph, and tears of joy. As I sit here at 3 in the morning, writing this, I already know I have a extraordinary group of young adults. I have faith that they will respond to any challenge put in front of them and they will meet them not as individuals but with the support of each other. I have already heard older runners encouraging our new teammates so they can finish their runs. I have watched a seasoned runner help a struggling 7th grader use the ropes to stretch, heard the sound of hands slapping together after finishing 1000's on a hot day, and seen the smiles from finishing their first two miles with out walking, I already know I have a team that will not be characterized not by its mistakes, but defined by how they support, grow, and succeed together.
We currently have 72 boys and girls out for Central Cross Country, a new record. This is a far cry from my first year as assistant coach in 1993, when we had 11 boys and 4 girls on the team. This current group, like any team, is learning how to stretch, stay hydrated, eat properly, and battle through early season soreness. We have had a few missteps: learning to arrive on time for practice, not leave our drinking cups all over the school, or not using our stretching ropes to prop open doors. We have also already had some difficult lessons to learn, ones that have caused tears and frustrations for both parents and teammates. People do make mistakes, but it's not the mistakes that define us, it is what we learn from them and how we respond to that mistake that defines the type of person we are.
Having a group this large also means we have the opportunity to have more success, triumph, and tears of joy. As I sit here at 3 in the morning, writing this, I already know I have a extraordinary group of young adults. I have faith that they will respond to any challenge put in front of them and they will meet them not as individuals but with the support of each other. I have already heard older runners encouraging our new teammates so they can finish their runs. I have watched a seasoned runner help a struggling 7th grader use the ropes to stretch, heard the sound of hands slapping together after finishing 1000's on a hot day, and seen the smiles from finishing their first two miles with out walking, I already know I have a team that will not be characterized not by its mistakes, but defined by how they support, grow, and succeed together.
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Monday, Aug 11th, was the first day of the 2014 season. It was great to have everyone together again! We currently have 68 boys and girls out for the team, it will be fun to travel to meets and have that big of a group getting off the bus and being ready to compete. There are a lot of first year runners that are learning the way we do things and just basically learning how to run. Everyone did awesome on their first run and the older runners did a great job of helping their new teammates learn our warm up routine and post run workout.
Hard to believe its the end of a another summer of running. But like always we ended the summer in style with "Goofy Relays". This year my daughter, Meghan, came up with the events and even came up with some new ones, which was great! This year the winning team was the "Winston Churchill's".
Caleb Kobilansky
Former Knights Cross Country Runner This past June, I embarked on a journey across the state of North Dakota, from Grand Forks to Williston. The expedition consisted of running roughly 380 miles in 13 days, with 1 day of rest on the 8th day of the trip. The trip was easily the wildest, toughest, and most rewarding experience of my life, being able to run day in and day out for nearly 2 weeks. I gained a lot of valuable insight during the expedition, but the most rewarding part was revisiting the basics that I learned when running for Knights XC. Running ultra-distance events requires the obvious physical fitness, and the much needed mental tenacity. On the 6th day, both of these were put to the test when I experienced the worst pains I’ve felt in my life. Tom Fisher, and Justin Gerszewski, my support cyclists and former runners from Central, and I had covered nearly 180 miles. I was feeling crushed. By this point, I had experienced some of the most excruciating pain in my knees that left me debilitated and lying on the side of the road. This moment, as well as many others, was a deciding moment where I had to choose to push on or give in. I remember flashing back to my first year of XC in 8th grade, running a 2 mile time trial on Chestnut. It was my first time trial ever, and 1.5 miles in, I was so exhausted that I chose to stop for a bit. One of the senior runners passed by me, turned around, and started to jog in place beside me. He then asked how I was doing, and gave me the best encouragement/advice anyone had given me up until this point. He told me, “You’re doing great, keep it up. Whatever you do though, don’t ever stop. It doesn’t matter how slow you go, just keep running”. Ever since then, i’ve taken this piece of advice to heart. I used this great piece of knowledge as a constant reminder that all I could do is push forward and give it my best shot. Another great piece of advice that led to my success, in addition to constantly pushing forward, was ‘doing the little things’. Coach did a great job of instilling the habit of embodying the lifestyle of a runner, not just to go run. In preparation for this run, it took countless hours of doing extra exercises, getting good sleep, and eating good meals to be ready for this feat. No matter how awful you’re feeling, or how bad you want to quit, all you can do is push forward till the end. At some point the journey will be over, and all you can do is soak in the experience. |
NEW Google drive to share pictures:
Parents please feel free to share. trade, and copy your Track & field pictures Google Drive AuthorVarious people will write about what is happening with the teams. Coach Allan and captains will be regular contributors. Alumni and parents are also welcome to submit entries. Archives
March 2024
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