By Mary Marcella and Erika Le
Timber Creek’s girls cross country season has been one to remember. This season they all benefitted extremely from the races. Speaking with one of the runners, Daria Cuellar, about her experience on the team she said her time has improved by a whole minute starting at 21:07 and now being at 19:50. “Cross Country involves a lot of hard work but pays off in the end. I’ve been running since I was a child but Cross Country is still a challenge because of the terrains and obstacles. My favorite part about Cross Country is between practices and meets. Practices are fun meeting so many friends there. The meets give me a weird feeling; excited to show off all my hard work,” said Daria Cuellar.
Cross Country seems to be a place where you find a new family and sense of unity. A Cross Country runner, Sophomore, Madyson Wanting. emphasized how important working together as a team is and was throughout this season and her past in Cross Country in general. “You have to finish as a team, time affects everything; but Cross Country is more of a team sport than it is depicted in society. Even when you feel like stopping, you have to keep going, your team is right there fighting with you during the race, before the race and at the finish line. Keep pushing through,” Said Wanting, Even though there were struggles this season they never lost hope.
Mariana Ostos, Senior, has always done running so it seemed like the obvious decision for her to join the team. “The feeling of accomplishment is amazing, it’s great to know no matter what happens the team always finishes together with a sense of family. I was always a runner, so why not do 5k’s. Cross country has always taught me to never give up, the finish line is always one step close. I can relate that to life in general, no matter how tough it can be you can always push through,” Ostos stated. The 8 cross country girls have really made a huge impact, especially on the coach.
After speaking with the cross country coach, Ms. Hasley, it is obvious she loves coaching this sport. Not only does she coach the girls but she coaches the boys team as well. After talking to her just after their regionals she was ready to talk about this team. “Not only does it hele but it helps the kids, I motivate myself as much as I motivate them. I gain a lot from watching kids find success in their hard work. I started this with the same passion and love for it as I had back in middle school. Giving back to the students is something I enjoy. Cross country is always something I’ve loved. This season, we’ve had a lot of younger kids due to seniors leaving Timber Creek however, we performed a lot better than I anticipated with the new young team,” Hasley said.
