The Gregory School’s cross country team has an exciting season coming up. This year, there are ten members on the team: Marco Manzo, Justus Williams, Nick Mojica, Ivan Healy, Micheal Jansky, Tyler Sparks, Renz Iurino, Bobby Mcman, Chris Allen, and Terah Williams. Their new coach is the eighth grade English teacher, Mr. Thompson.
Justus and Marco are taking the lead this year as co-captains. As captains, they expect to help their teammates find their love of running, excel in their training techniques, and reach their team goals. Many people join cross country for sports preparation and endurance training, due to the amount of running needed in other popular sports in the winter or spring, like soccer or basketball.
As co-captain Justus Williams said, “I just hope that those [who are using cross country as sports preparation], me being one of them, get the most out of cross country and come out in shape and super healthy.”
This season, Justus and Marco hope to intensify their practices by having the team do a lot more mile repeats, which is where you run as fast as you can for one mile, take a few moments to rest, and then repeat the process. The heat makes the after school practices extra tough, but Marco and Justus both agree that it just makes them stronger overall.
Despite being such a small team with varied skill levels, their greatest strength is their sense of comradery. The team is especially looking forward to some of their biggest meets in Scottsdale, sectionals in Rio Rico, and state, if any of the runners are lucky enough to make it. With a great coach, encouraging co-captains, and a close knit team, The Gregory School cross country team is bound to have a successful season!
Written by Haley Evic (staff reporter)