The Page cross country team began their season practicing hard in the burning summer heat! So far, there have been many exciting meets.

In an interview with Liana Blue, Page’s IB coordinator and cross country coach, I learned a great deal about the cross country team, coach, and season. Coach Blue ran cross country for all four years of high school and also ran in college at UNC Charlotte. From her experience as an athlete, her coaching philosophy is that “You get out what you put in.” She says that, in order to succeed, the team needs to train hard and put forth their best effort. Another key to success is trusting her and the rest of the team. Along with this, Coach Blue said, “Being a student comes first…” This means that each athlete needs to structure their time properly. I also asked Coach Blue if she thought her team was focused more on having fun or competing to win. She said that during training the athletes are very serious, but during bus rides and other activities that the team partakes in – such as “Pancake Night” – the team loves having fun. The Page cross country coach told me that there is definitely a balance of fun and focus that is perfect for a team. This season, the training schedule is very tiring, but it definitely pays off at the meets. In a week, there are about one to two days of extra hard work where the athletes run three miles, recovery days, and other days the team jogs constantly for around fifty minutes! The team also works out frequently, focusing especially on abs.

As for the meets, Coach Blue said that she is hoping the team would do enough to be the Men’s Conference Champions for the sixth year in a row! She is hoping that Cam Milroy, one of Page’s senior cross country runners, could hit a sixteen minute 5K. This could possibly lead them to victory along with the strong efforts of the rest of the team! Coach Blue is also looking forward to the Women’s Conference Championship and is hoping that they can place but is very proud of her team no matter the outcome.

There are four more upcoming meets of the season, none of them being home meets. On Saturday, October 6th, the Wendy’s Invitational at 9:00AM will take place. This will be held in Charlotte at McApline Greenway Park. The team will also compete at 5:00PM on October 17th for the title of Conference Champion. On Saturday, October 27th, the morning will kick off at 9:00AM in the NCHSAA 4A Midwest Regional Meet. The last meet of the season, the 4A NCHSAA State Championships begins at 9:00AM on Saturday, November 3rd. Along with the Conference Championship and Midwest Regional Meet, the State Championship will take place at the Ivey Sports Complex. After the competitions, we will have more information coming out regarding the results. Go Pirates!