The cross country’s team motto this year is “Run for One, Run for All.” The goal is to run as a team, run as one, rather than focus on just yourself. It’s trying to encourage the team to think of Pella Cross Country as a whole. Almost no one runs alone; everyone has their own group or buddy to run with.
According to freshman Kenadi Montgomery, team meals are a great way to build team unity. There are several times throughout the season when both the girls’ and boys’ cross country teams come together to share a meal. Parents provide the food and sometimes the venue. One team meal was at senior Aren Hellbusch’s home and another was at junior Marissa Ferrebee’s.
“I think team meals definitely help us get more connected, like not having to worry about working out, or looking good for anyone,” said senior Nora Ausman. “You can just go and hangout, eat and play games together.”
Ausman appreciates the encouragement she receives from teammates. Everybody recognizes each other’s hard work. It doesn’t matter whether you’re in first place or last place; your teammates are going to cheer you on.
“I feel really welcome on the team. On a hard day, there are people I’ve never ran with, and they’re encouraging me,” said Ausman. “I’ll run past them, and they’ll say something like great job or you’re doing great.”
Ausman has realized that there’s a point behind everything the team does. Each week there are a certain amount of hard workouts, and then there are easier, recovery workouts. The set routine is going to help them in the long run.
“On the hard days we work hard, on the recovery days we recover hard,” said Ausman. “We’re intentional about the workouts and we’re intentional about even connecting with each other and pushing our limits.”
