The new cross country team captain intends to encourage and motivate this year’s cross country team.
“My goal for this season is different than in years past. This season I am the team captain. My goal is to encourage and motivate others on the team to do better. Of course I still want to do my best and run new personal bests as well. I hope to focus more on my endurance rather than my speed. In the long run, it is easier to run a good time with more endurance training,” senior Jaxon Deckard said.
While Deckard, who has started his sixth cross country season, aspires to motivate, coach Ehren Banfield encourages team progress.
“My goal is always to see progression of my runners with faster times, personal records or PRs, getting athletes to medal (which they love), make it to state, and hopefully an All-State Medal top 25 at state. A big goal I always have is to have a team qualify for state, but that takes numbers,” Banfield said.
Competition has already started for the team. At their Sept. 7 Bolivar meet, junior Wesley Jackson led the Cats with 17th place with a time of 17:59.65 and Deckard came in 27th. Freshman Brody Boggs also posted a personal record. At Willard on Sept. 19, Jackson finished third with a personal record time of 17:34.534, Deckard finished 10th with a time of 18:32.240 and freshman Skyler Illingworth posted a personal record.
Runners train for the 5K (3.1 mile) races by running between 5 to 9 miles a day at practice.
Cross country may come with difficulties and challenges.
“The ups and downs of XC . . . if we were talking literally I would say those hills. But, it’s all a mental game. The only thing/person in between yourself and success literally is yourself. Yes, you are racing with/against other people, but really, it’s more about beating yourself. I think of them, the other racers, as companions in the same battle we are all waging in that race. The ups, certainly, is my team. As I have said before, I love my team, and we have each other’s back and we always encourage each other, and push each other. It’s pretty awesome. I also love all our conversations, everything. I really do love my team,” sophomore Maya Daughenbaugh said.
Deckard said hard work and determination are keys to being a successful runner.
“The biggest key to being successful is to have a good mindset. Come to practice excited to push yourself and get better. Show up to meets ready to run your best time yet. Do not dread them. The hardest part about Cross Country is not running. It is having the mindset to run. Running is 90 percent a mental sport. You will see more growth and success with a determined mindset,” Deckard said.
Although running can be tough for some runners, it’s necessary for perseverance and preparation.
“Running is not great, but it’s really satisfying if you do good. Normally, I try to eat a lot of protein and carbs throughout the week and carb load before meets,” junior Brayden Henderson said.
Before joining XC, Daughenbaugh believes you should be prepared to commit and give it your all.
“Don’t start it if you don’t have any intentions to finish it, or to even follow through with it. If you are going to do it, do it putting your best foot forward, always pushing and being/doing the best you can be, and it will sometimes be a battle along the way, but in the end you will be so, so happy you did it because you did it and you are so much more better because of it,” Daughenbaugh said.
Banfield brings a lot of experience to WHS. He has coached here for 11 years and has been involved with running most of his life, starting in elementary school.
“I have been a part of running for most of my life. When I was a kid, I ran in AAU Track & Field and meets in the summer starting when I was in elementary school. So I have a history in running,” Banfield said.
Banfield ran on a St. Louis team called the Royal Knights, on which he competed as part of a 4×400 meter relay team that went to the Junior Olympics hosted in Minnesota that year. The team medaled.
“I even met many olympians such as Jackie Joyner Kersee. I also ran in high school and college where I was a State Champion and went to many national meets in college,” Banfield said.
