Running in High School - Before vs. After COVID-19

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50">Along with those two big trips, every year my whole team would have a team camp at the University of Oregon. We stayed in the dorms, had a chocolate milk relay on Pre’s trail, and got to walk around Hayward Field. Additionally, every year we would travel up to Washington and stay at the Great Wolf Lodge, an indoor waterpark hotel.I was very fortunate to go on all of these fun trips during my cross country seasons, all for basically no money. I have so many great memories from them and couldn’t imagine it any other way.Cross country season 2020 for high schoolers will not look the same. Depending on where you live, you may not even know if you are going to have a season at all. And if you do, it is going to look different than originally planned.Fortunately, cross country is considered a “non-contact sport” so it has a better chance of happening compared to a sport like basketball. Running is considered a social distancing activity. Although it is very easy to social distance and run, anyone who has raced at a cross country meet before knows that it would be impossible to keep 200 kids six feet apart in a race.Whether everyone will be required to wear a mask while racing or if everything is going to be relay-style like some have suggested, it is going to be different. There will probably be rules against traveling and rules about how many people can be at practice.All the great memories I have like traveling, sleepovers, and team dinners probably won’t happen this year.There are so many little things too, like the team cheer, that just isn’t safe under social distancing guidelines.It’s sad.My dad is a high schoo

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l cross country coach and it’s been interesting to hear what could happen for his team this year. Simple things like getting an extra bus so everyone would have a seat to themselves are sad to hear because cross country is so much like a family that the thought of having to be physically separated from your friends just doesn’t sound the same.My high school experience will be different. Cross country will be different. I feel for all of the high school students who are going through this. Even as a college runner where I don’t know for certain what my season will look like this year, I still feel bad for high schoolers. High school running is much more about the fun and less about the running. A lot of the new rules that need to be set in place will take a lot of the fun away.No one knows when things will go back to “normal”. Things may never go back to exactly how they were before, which is why I’m thankful I was able to be part of a team that had so much fun and at a time when it was safe to do so.To all the high school runners out there, even though this season will be different and everything you have been looking forward to might not happen, it’s important to look at the positives. At least you are still able to do the thing you love, run. You are able to train right now while it’s a challenge for other athletes to train like normal. You can still chase after PR’s and make new types of memories. You can make any situation fun, even if it’s just at a local dual meet. If you are angry about the situation, know that all of these changes are necessary and only in place to keep you and your family safe. Being thankful that you are healthy and able to run is a blessing in itself.</article></body>

And why I am grateful I had the experience I did.

I was in high school from 2013–2017. Of course, I didn’t realize how different my high school experience would be compared to students who would walk the halls just a few years later.

The global pandemic has raised a lot of questions about how schools and sports are supposed to continue in a safe manner. These questions are still trying to be answered and there are a lot of potential “solutions” that have been proposed. One thing all of these proposals have in common? It is going to be different.

Before I even started 9th grade, I had a goal. I wanted to make varsity. The top seven runners of my high school team were going to fly from Oregon all the way to New York City during the first week of September. I wanted to be one of those seven.

I had my work cut out for me, but I believed I was capable of the task. I went to every single summer practice and even did some aqua jogging to get in shape. There were three qualifying races with a point system in place and I somehow pulled it off, just barely. I was headed to the Big Apple!

Two years later we had another trip planned, this time to Lake Tahoe. I had tons of fun with my team, enjoying the lake and dancing on the dinner cruise.

Along with those two big trips, every year my whole team would have a team camp at the University of Oregon. We stayed in the dorms, had a chocolate milk relay on Pre’s trail, and got to walk around Hayward Field. Additionally, every year we would travel up to Washington and stay at the Great Wolf Lodge, an indoor waterpark hotel.

I was very fortunate to go on all of these fun trips during my cross country seasons, all for basically no money. I have so many great memories from them and couldn’t imagine it any other way.

Cross country season 2020 for high schoolers will not look the same. Depending on where you live, you may not even know if you are going to have a season at all. And if you do, it is going to look different than originally planned.

Fortunately, cross country is considered a “non-contact sport” so it has a better chance of happening compared to a sport like basketball. Running is considered a social distancing activity. Although it is very easy to social distance and run, anyone who has raced at a cross country meet before knows that it would be impossible to keep 200 kids six feet apart in a race.

Whether everyone will be required to wear a mask while racing or if everything is going to be relay-style like some have suggested, it is going to be different. There will probably be rules against traveling and rules about how many people can be at practice.

All the great memories I have like traveling, sleepovers, and team dinners probably won’t happen this year.

There are so many little things too, like the team cheer, that just isn’t safe under social distancing guidelines.

It’s sad.

My dad is a high school cross country coach and it’s been interesting to hear what could happen for his team this year. Simple things like getting an extra bus so everyone would have a seat to themselves are sad to hear because cross country is so much like a family that the thought of having to be physically separated from your friends just doesn’t sound the same.

My high school experience will be different. Cross country will be different. I feel for all of the high school students who are going through this. Even as a college runner where I don’t know for certain what my season will look like this year, I still feel bad for high schoolers. High school running is much more about the fun and less about the running. A lot of the new rules that need to be set in place will take a lot of the fun away.

No one knows when things will go back to “normal”. Things may never go back to exactly how they were before, which is why I’m thankful I was able to be part of a team that had so much fun and at a time when it was safe to do so.

To all the high school runners out there, even though this season will be different and everything you have been looking forward to might not happen, it’s important to look at the positives. At least you are still able to do the thing you love, run. You are able to train right now while it’s a challenge for other athletes to train like normal. You can still chase after PR’s and make new types of memories. You can make any situation fun, even if it’s just at a local dual meet. If you are angry about the situation, know that all of these changes are necessary and only in place to keep you and your family safe. Being thankful that you are healthy and able to run is a blessing in itself.