Have you considered joining your school’s cross country or track team? I would like to offer a few reasons why you should think about adding running as your newest sport of choice.
Numbers Don’t Lie
Cross Country (XC, for short) and Track & Field are some of the most popular sports for middle and high schools students. According to a survey done by the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS), in 2016 there were 591,133 boys participating in track and field across 16,547 high schools, and 485,969 girls participating in track and field across 16,508 schools. Yes, if you or your athlete wanted to join track and field, they would be joining a community of over one million student-athletes across the country.
There is also typically no limited to the number of members on a track and XC team.
Running is a Foundation in Every Sport
When an athlete screws up in a team sport, the consequence is usually having to run. And if a team continues to act up, they continue to run. The point is, joining the XC/Track team is only going to improve your athleticism. It will help build cardio, muscle endurance, and if you have a good coach, they will help improve your running form and economy. If your favorite sport is in the fall, you can stay in shape by doing track in the spring. If your sport is in the spring, join the XC team in the fall, and so on.
Building a fundamental base of running and cardiovascular capacity can help athletes, regardless of what their primary sport is.
The Variety in Track & Field is Worth Trying
If you are a sprinter and like to jump, there are nearly a half dozen of events in track you can try. If you like to run for a long time, and you’re really strong, there are multiple events for you to try as well.
What is so cool about track and field is that it provides many different activities for athletes to prove how truly athletic they are.
If you think you’re fast, line up against five to seven other athletes and prove it. Think you’re strong? Throw this shotput farther than the 5-10 people in your throwing flight. The beauty of track and field is in its “put up or shut up” structure. Those who like to talk about what they can do have to actually prove it.
You Might Actually Love It
There are stories upon stories on athletes who participate in XC or track and field to stay in shape for their other sports, and end up dropping their previous love for running. There is something so genuine about both the sports and the athletes who compete in them, that is unlike any other activity. The sportsmanship you see after athletes push themselves to the limits is something you only have to see to believe.
I wholeheartedly encourage you or your athlete to give cross country or track and field a try if they are looking for something new, need a break, or need to get into shape. If the team is very competitive and the athlete needs help getting to a point to try out, the private coaching community at CoachUp is more than willing to get your athlete to the level they need to be in order to compete.
CoachUp is the safest and easiest way to find a coach for personalized training. With our 100% money-back guarantee and vetted coaches, anyone can achieve their full athletic potential. Find your perfect coach today and become the athlete you want to be!
