If students drive by Anderson High School after the school day is over, they may notice a group of shirtless runners flying down the sidewalks in front of the school. These boys are members of the Anderson High School cross country team. The team is currently training hard for end of the season events including sectionals, regionals, and state competitions.

 Many students assume running cross country is difficult and the long distances are unachievable. However, Sophomore Cooper King says, “When people first see cross country they think it’s super hard because they don’t like running but after a few months running gets easier.” Cooper King also wants to encourage more students to get into cross country stating,”If you get in it early it won’t be as hard as you think.”

 Sophomore Kaleb Dean said, “At a point during the race it can’t get any worse so you have to push through and have good conversations.“Another thing that helps these students to do well is friendly competition between teammates. Kameron King said, “A time when I pushed myself the hardest was to beat senior Jacob Rust.”

 As this season gets closer to the end sophomores Cooper King, Kameron King, and Kaleb Dean look forward to being in more of a leadership role. Cooper king said, “Me and Kaleb are going to be able to be encouraging and be able to keep the team in good spirits.”

Kevin Hook, the cross country coach also plays an important role in encouraging his runners. 

“He gets us so hype and ready for running.” said Kameron King. Hook gives students free snacks, such as hot dogs on Thursdays and ice cream on Fridays. Dean said, “We’re a very close team and the team aspect is a huge part of our cross country team.” The cross country students have even gone as far as putting Hook’s face on the back of their team t-shirts. 

Hook has also taught his team a powerful mantra: “Don’t decrease the goal, increase the effort.”