Cross Country Under Way

By Emolyn Liden
Sentinel Writer

Think of your favorite sport.  Take out the ball, the net, the field, the court, the diamond.  What do you have left? It may even be your sport’s punishment: Running. Pure running. Sneakers and the road.  To the lean and mean team members, that is what cross country is all about, just you and the course.

    Murphy High School runners learn quickly that half of the challenge is dealing with your mind.  You have to tell yourself to keep running no matter how exhausted.

Coaches Ben Pipes and Jason Forrister know this well and work with the team to instill endurance, strength, and determination.

At practice yesterday after school Coach Pipes spoke to the group about dedication to the sport.  Pipes plans out each practice for the season and often runs right alongside his team to help encourage them.

    This year there are twenty boys and nine girls.  The middle school team, a group of about sixteen, often practice with the High School team.

    The groups work on both distance and speed for their five kilometer races.  At typical practice you may see the pack running three to six miles, snaking the roads through Conaheeta park and back to the school.  Other days they may focus on the deadly mile repeat whereby coach Pipes stands at check points with his stop watch to report your time as you cross the finish line.

    In years past the teams have traveled to Pigeon Forge for an 8K night race.  “Recently we have been taking the teams to Knoxville in early October to compete in the Knoxville Track Club Invitational.  THere the teams get to compete with teams from a variety of classes,” said Jason Forrister who has been helping coach the team for six years.  

    ”I always tell the runners to do their best in practice so that no matter how they finish at the end of the season they can be proud of what they have done.”

    This year the Quarterback Club purchased new uniforms for the girls and boys teams.  “We are very excited to have these new uniforms because our others were very worn.  So, our teams have a different look from previous years, but we hope they still have the same discipline and desire to win.”
Support the teams at their first meet on September 1 in Union County GA at Meeks Park.