CHS Cross Country up and running for the summer with aspirations to win state

Cascade Cross Country is practicing over the summer for the upcoming fall season, with the first practice held June 21. The team is meeting Tuesday and Thursday mornings to run over the summer, and they recently got back from a team cross country camp in Mazama.

“I think we definitely have a very good shot at winning league [for guys and girls] and then we’ll get a chance to go to state. Our boys got third last year so we’re hopeful and our girls got tenth last year,” Massey said. “I think we have a chance of winning state for boys and girls, it's within the realm of possibility but it’s tough. It’s very tough. There are so many things that can happen, like injuries”

Massey said that returning runners will be faster this year for both boys and girls. Last year, when the girls team got tenth at state, then freshman Caroline Menna, who was running very well early in the season, had a foot injury and could not run postseason meets, but she should race state this year, he said.

He hopes that Menna and other fast girl runners on the team will help the team to grow stronger, even with the loss of graduated superstar Lauren Muscutt. He said that it is hard to definitely predict what the rest of the league will look like this year with the past two years of COVID.

After two years of restrictions, things are finally getting back to normal. Massey said that there is a good energy coming out of COVID and the team doesn’t have to worry about the season getting cancelled. During the start of the pandemic, the 2020 season was delayed until spring of 2021 with classes held online during the fall.

In the spring of 2021, classes were held hybrid with a short “2020” season with state being contested as individual time trials on the track and results aggregated. The state meet was put together by the Washington State Cross Country Coaches Association instead of the WIAA, which normally hosts state meets. Masks were required during school and training runs and only allowed off during competition.

In fall of 2021, cross country was pretty much back to normal, and classes were in person, albeit with reduced participation from some teams, but runners had to wear masks at school and on the bus, but not while training and competing.

Cross Country recently got back from their overnight team camp which was July 5-7 at assistant coach Eric Bard’s family owned Mazama cabin. Rising senior Quentin Farrell really enjoyed the camp.

“The main part about [team] camp, at least for me, was being able to hang out with friends and it was tons of fun,” Quentin said. “Most of the time we just sat in a circle of chairs that people brought and were chatting. It was pretty epic.”

Quentin said that the team played capture the flag a couple times and he spent a lot of time playing cards with friends. He said for him the runs were hard but manageable but for some the runs were easy. He said they went for a shorter run the first day, a longer run the second day and a hilly trail run the third day.

About 10 runners are going individually to White Pass Cross Country Camp July 17-22 to enjoy running with their teammates, those from other teams and to take on the mountain challenge, a camp wide uphill race.

Quentin Farrell and his sister, rising sophomore Alice Farrell, are planning to go to White Pass Cross Country Camp this year. Quentin and Alice said they have never gone to the camp before. Alice said that she is looking forward to the camp and likes the sport.

“All the people who do it are really fun people to hang out with. They make the sport really fun,” Alice said.  “I like running, it's pretty fun. I like it because you are not sitting around, and you are going places.”

Quentin said that running is good because it is good training, and you get faster but that he also likes walking since it is relaxing.  Both Quentin and Alice said that the team is “really good” and is going to do well this year. In addition to the team doing well, they are both hoping to improve individually. Quentin said that his high school career has passed by fast, and he is disappointed that this is his final year of sports

Haakon Scheibler, (pronounced Hawkn-ohn) rising senior and co-captain of the boys’ team, said that the team is trying to run as much as possible outside of school. He said people train outside of designated practices and meet up to run a lot. Scheibler is also hopeful about the team's chances this year.

“I think that our chances could be good. We got third last year. We did lose our best senior, but we have some others to replace him who for various reasons couldn’t run last year,” he said. “I think if we run over the summer, we should win league and state as well.”

Scheibler said that he hopes to improve in his final season but doesn’t want to take things so seriously that he puts too much pressure on himself. He said that is going to train more this summer and hopes to run with the team at state. Last season, Scheibler was the team's seventh runner at state.  Alice competed at the state meet as well as the girls fifth runner.

Scheibler said that the team's coaches are “really good” and that Mr. Massey, along with the assistant coaches, are very knowledgeable and serious about the sport. During a race, he said that it is mentally tough to stay patient and run fast the whole time but that eventually you settle into the pace.

Cross Country is difficult because it is an effort-based sport, Scheibler said.

“Your results are directly determined by how much effort you put in,” he said. “In other sports, you may not have to exert that much effort. In cross country, your results are linear with how much effort you put in.”

When you are tired, it can be hard to get through a difficult practice session, Alice said. The time commitment is difficult as well, Quentin added, since he has other hobbies that he likes to pursue. Despite his other interests, he thinks cross country is well worth the time. Both Quentin and Alice agree that everyone should join cross country.