Are you tired of being bored out of your mind all summer? Want to get in shape? Want to make new friends? If so, move your feet towards the field house by the tennis courts on May 16. We’ll take it from there.

XC can be extremely effective in relieving boredom. Every weekday throughout the summer, we practice, often early in the morning. While that may sound terrible (I thought it was at first), you will grow to appreciate the routine and the sense of stability that it brings to your life. It also heightens your appreciation for the weekends. 

XC can be extremely effective in improving fitness. I mean, c’mon, guys, it’s running for crying out loud! There is no better way to slim down or improve your aerobic fitness. In addition, many people who play other sports do XC for additional training. For example, half of the Girls’ State team currently plays soccer on the side. In some cases, XC can overtake the sport you originally joined for (I’m a good example, for I joined XC for hockey training, and then I figured out I was better at running than hockey, so running became my main sport). 

XC is extremely effective in forming new friendships. The vast majority of the XC team are amiable to each other, and newcomers are quickly welcomed into the fold. If one is to join XC, they will meet men and women as old as 18, along with kids as young as 13. There’s a pace group for everyone!

One more thing: XC vastly improves self-image. Nothing is better than being able to tell someone that you can run ten miles in X time, or run a mile at Y speed. Even running three miles would seem impressive to someone who doesn’t run often. XC is also an egalitarian sport. It requires minimal talent compared to sports like football, baseball, basketball, hockey, and soccer. However, it does require a strong work ethic, good attitude, and dogged determination.

“Wow! That sounds like so much fun! How do I join the Cross Country team?”

You only have to run one mile without stopping in under 10 minutes. No one has ever failed the tryout before. People have only given up. If you feel unable to achieve the standard, there are a few things you can do to improve your chances, them being:

• Increase your hydration levels. It’s pretty hard to run dehydrated.
• Increase your overall activity. Maybe take a bike ride within your neighborhood. Even better, run around your neighborhood. It doesn’t take much running to drastically improve your fitness.
• Believe that you can do it! That’s arguably the most critical part.

Remember: No one has ever failed the tryout. People have only given up. I can count on a single hand the number of people who gave up, and I’ve experienced two tryouts. It’s really not that hard, guys. I promise.

The Uncle Sam in the featured image is credited to DonkeyHotey, https://www.flickr.com/photos/donkeyhotey/, changes were made to the original image.