Breaking a personal record is something nearly every student athlete strives for. It’s a testament to the hours of dedicated off-season training, after-school practices and determination during the toughest moments of the season.
For the U-High cross country teams, achieving a personal best is not just an individual accomplishment but a unique team celebration, such as the team’s tradition of smashing tiles of previous records, that serves to motivate students and create a strong sense of team spirit.
Junior Osvaldo Carretero, a member of the boys team, particularly enjoys the tile-breaking tradition.
“We gather together, and people who broke their personal records smash the tile with their previous record,” he said. “It’s a motivating and exciting experience, and it is rewarding to do it with teammates.”
Senior Sofia Picciola, captain of the girls cross country team, recalls the time she beat her freshman-year personal record — or PR — by two minutes.
“I remember crossing the finish line, and the two seniors who were captains knew I had just smashed my record, and they gave me a giant hug,” Sofia said. “For the girls team, if we finish running, we always go back out and cheer on the other runners. It’s a great feeling after you’ve just run three miles.”
Sofia noted that the camaraderie on the team can be attributed to its collaborative nature.
“What’s really unique about cross country is that, while it’s an individual sport, it’s also a team sport at the same time,” Sofia said. “You’re running for yourself, but you score points as a team.”
P.E. teacher Austin Warner, who coaches the boys cross country team, values seeing students’ progression over the course of the season.
“It’s a really cool thing, for me as a coach, to see students break a PR,” Mr. Warner said. “They train hard, and for them to be able to put all that hard work and energy into accomplishing something they’ve never done before is really special.”
Like Sofia, Mr. Warner believes that students’ efforts collectively benefit the team.
“If everybody can shoot for a personal best,” he said, “it’s not just going to make themselves better, but the team as a whole.”
