Most teams would feel like giving up after losing their top seniors, but the St. Paul Academy and Summit School boys cross country team is feeling positive about their season and are excited to compete.

“Our oldest guy is a junior and we have one sophomore, a couple freshmen, and a bunch of middle schoolers,” freshman Ethan Less said.
Although losing alumnus Mike Destache (‘15) was difficult, freshman Tom Jaeger points out that “we have a really supportive team.”

This year, the team focuses on improving, not winning:. ”We’re looking to build our skills. We are definitely not a contender this year but in maybe in a few years. So we’re just focusing on building our talent,” sophomore Larry Chen said.

Junior Kyle Ziemer agrees. “We’ve got a decent team this year, but we’re young; I think we’ll be better next year,” Ziemer said.
At practices, the boys work hard. “We’ll do long runs and then speed work,” freshman Jonah Spencer said. “I enjoy long runs more because you get to talk to more people, but speed work is more challenging and mentally exhausting,” he added.

Chen says practice can really test a runner’s limits. “Practice is basically a test of endurance, mentally and physically. You’re running for maybe an hour. You want to stop but you have to keep yourself going, and eventually that’s what helps you win races,” Chen said. “I think a will to keep going is a very important life skill to have.”

“It’s a lot of hard work. At the end of every day, you’re exhausted,” Less said.

Although practices and meets can be grueling, the team atmosphere is lighthearted. “It’s a lot of hard work every day, but it’s a fun team atmosphere. It’s not as competitive as other sports. We’re a pretty positive team,” Less said.

As the team looks ahead to their prospects at state in the next few years, the boys feel hopeful. “I think our group could get to state next year, or the year after,” Spencer said. “The girls went to State last year and they ran really well as a team, so I think that’s what we need to do,” he added.

Running as a team is definitely a priority for the boys. “Towards the end of a longer run, when you’re really tired when the mental part of running comes into play, having teammates that you know and like really helps,” Jaeger said.

This story was originally published in September 2015 print issue of The Rubicon.