With West High commanding their division for the past decade, cross country has been one of West’s dominant sports. This year, the Boy’s team has been preparing for the past few months, with three-hour morning practices ranging from Monday to Friday. In the summer, runners average anywhere between forty and sixty miles every week. However, the results of this year’s first league race have come as a surprise for some athletes in light of their hard work. On Wednesday, Sept. 27, the first league race of this year’s season was held at Torrance High School, and West High placed second out of seven teams with a 44-point score, leaving many athletes disappointed yet eager to persist.
Each race is a distance of three miles, where every runner competes for the fastest time. Runners gain points for the team based on what place they finish the race, with the school having the lowest total point score ranking first. Although West’s Boys’ varsity placed second overall the first-place spot was taken by rival school Torrance High, with a total score of 36.
One of the major elements of West’s cross country team is the comradery between athletes. Junior Varsity runner Saunak Ghosh (11) expressed how support from his teammates improved his running performance: “It is always easier to push yourself if a friend is in competition with you,” Ghosh revealed. Fellow JV runner Isaiah Kim (11) shared the same thoughts, commenting that “working together and holding each other accountable” during practice was an excellent way to improve running times. Running as a group was a “good way to not slack off and keep team morale high.” However, Kim observed that the varsity team lacked the unity it needed to place first. In order for the team to improve this year, he believed that it was necessary to “work together during races to win them.”
Cross country is a rigorous sport – from waking up early to running dozens of miles a week, it’s tough for even the best athletes. Despite this, members of the team encourage others to join. The learning experiences involved in the sport are what made it all worthwhile. Ghosh felt that a valuable lesson he learned whilst running was: “hard work can achieve good results.” Through repetition and perseverance, athletes can drastically improve their running times. With diligent effort, the Cross Country team’s first league game loss will be put in the past and the team will strive to excel. “Patience is always the key. Putting in work is only part of the process. Being able to wait and stay patient is just as important,” Kim advised.
