Issue date: 9/15/06 Section: Sports

As school swings back into high gear, the Hendrix Cross-Country team follows suit. The team has often been seen running through campus and around town, and this year proves to be no different. They enter the dining room with reddened faces and ice packs wrapped onto various joints, drinking Gatorade of every flavor, and a lot of water. One has to wonder just what a practice must be like.

"Our practices vary depending on the day," says sophomore Laura Broederdorf. "We usually do long runs on Monday, work-outs on Tuesday and Thursday, and use Wednesday to recover. If there is a meet that weekend, we prepare for it on the proceeding Friday."

Most people get tired just thinking about a long run, which can last up to and hour and forty-five minutes.

"It's hard, but after the first two weeks, you get used to it," continues Broederdorf.

Two weekends ago in St. Louis, Mo., the men and women's teams opened their respective seasons with the Washington University Early Bird Meet.

"The men ran a 6k and the women ran a 4k," says sophomore Mallory Bader. "It was a good showing for our first meet, and we did pretty well considering we were competing against Division I and II schools," continues Bader.

"We weren't the fastest, but it's only September. We don't worry about being fast until late October," adds Broederdorf. "Plus it was good for the new people to go to a meet and see what they're like. It's good that they have a race under their belt."

And with the largest freshman class in the history of Hendrix, there are certainly a lot of new people.

"The college training and meet schedules are different from those in high school and they take some getting used to. I think they're doing really well," says Broederdorf, "It's interesting to watch the team dynamics develop."

As with any team, the concern is toward the future and how the dynamics will play out in competition.

"If everything goes like it's supposed to, we'll make good progress as a team during the rest of the season and have a good showing at conference and regionals," says Bader.

The cross-country season goes until the end of October and the teams participate in seven meets including the National Collegiate Athletic Association South and Southeast Regional Championships.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools