Team

So it's begun... SNC CC 2010. :) My final season as a Green Knight!

Camp has been going on for nearly 3 days now, and haven't sat still much at all. Exactly the way I like it!

Today was definitely the most fun day thus far. We traveled a little over an hour north of Green Bay to Clark Lake in the Whitefish Dunes State Park up in scenic Door County. Two of our freshmen are from the Door County area so they were able to guide us on some AWESOME trails. It felt so good to get on woodchip/gravel trails, off the pavement, and away from campus and the same old sidewalks! It was an absolutely gorgeous day -- about 72 degrees and sunny.

It's been a lot of fun getting to know all the freshmen - there's 28 of us total and 17 of those are freshmen! They're an incredibly talented group and are obviously going to be vital to our success this season. We lost just one girl from a season ago to graduation (Kim, you'll be very missed!)- so we have 8 returning ladies and I know we have a very, very solid chance at winning Conference and maybe even going beyond that -- if we can stay healthy and continue to develop our freshmen!

I love the sport of cross country because the TEAM and camaraderie are so much a part of it. While yes, ultimately running is an individual sport, the opportunity to get to Nationals as a team is what fires me up more than just about anything! Imagining running at the National meet with my entire team at the starting line alongside me is the ultimate dream. While I know that will be an extremely difficult task, especially with our tough Midwest Regional, it's definitely a possibility. It's a huge reason why this week of Camp is crucial to develop chemistry/synergy and a feeling of trust among one another!

Of course, looking at the season, I have a lot of individual goals as well. It still hasn't hit me that it's my last collegiate season, and I really don't think it will till I cross that finish line for the last time in November. But that's exactly why I'm going to keep taking it day by day, week by week, meet by meet, so that I can savor the little moments, like today in Door County! It was our first time taking a training trip, and it was such an awesome experience -- hope they do it for years to come!

I'm extremely excited for our annual home meet, always the first weekend in September - the Tom Barry Invite. All alumni are invited back and actually scored in to the meet. It's in honor of a former SNC athlete/coach, Tom Barry, who died of a heart attack during a road race in the early 1990's. It's always fun to chat it up with the alums, and then of course, to beat them all! ;) These first few meets are going to be a great feeling out process for all the freshman (there's 9 freshman guys!) and as a Captain, I know the meets prior to Championship season are a perfect chance to help calm any worries anyone may have and to continue to build team morale that will very much be needed by the time late October/November rolls around!

I do best leading by example, but I'm going to make a concerted effort to be more vocal and to listen to the needs of all my teammates! I'm not going to be around much longer, and I want to do all I can to help this program continue to build on the successes of recent years! I had a ton of fun chatting with them today and having good times, but I know it's going to be even more crucial for me to be there when things aren't going so well -- when the workouts get really tough, and when studying and the stresses of school really start showing up. That's when I'm going to be ready to step in and help us all get through the tough times together. Getting through tough times together is a huge key to achieving success! Those tough workouts are what are going to make us stronger than anyone else when the season really starts to heat up.

And so, as we're more than half way through camp, I know we've got a ton of success headed our way this season if we can keep up what we've started thus far :) We've got a lot of great work ethic and plenty of time to work up to where we need to be on October 30th for the MWC Championship and beyond. I know we can push each other to achieve more success than many think is possible out of this group!

SNC CC 2010: Determined to Dominate! ... & WITHOUT LIMITS!

I'm going to try and post a meet-by-meet recap, so check back in often throughout the season! Our schedule is on one of my pages at the top of my blog. Just click on the tab that says "2010 XC Schedule."

Here's to a great season -- watch out for the St. Norbert Green Knights!

Best of luck to all competing in cross country this fall. What an awesome sport.

Happy Running!
--KnightRunner

The 2010 SNC Women's CC Team :)

SNC CC 2010 Group Photo in Door County!


And finally...Some awesome quotes on teamwork:

"When a team outgrows individual performance and learns team confidence, excellence becomes a reality." --Joe Paterno

Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.--Henry Ford

“There is no such thing as a self-made man. You will reach your goals only with the help of others.” --George Shinn