By FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com
It’s right there in the numbers.
The most popular sport in the Mahomet-Seymour school district this fall is junior high cross-country.
Across the three grades levels, there are 103 active participants, 54 of whom are boys.
Coach Lisa Martin is accustomed to working with large groups.
When she started, with former coach Tom Appenzeller, the program was flourishing.
“When we coached together, the team steadily grew to about 70 or so,” Martin said. “We have been around 70 to 80 for the last six years since his retirement.”
Until this fall.
The numbers are evenly split between eighth- and seventh-graders (25 each), but reaching record levels once 53 sixth-graders are counted.
“I attribute the large numbers to some pretty awesome families,” Martin said. “So often we coach all kids in a family. I am even now coaching kids of athletes I coached earlier in my career.
“I think what happens is that those families share their experience and then bring along more families. We also are supported by staff at Lincoln Trail as their fifth-graders leave for junior high and are encouraged to join school programs in junior high, cross-county being one of those activities.”
As families relocate into the Mahomet-Seymour district, they learn about various options as well as the advantages of participating.
“We also ask our office staff to let new families in the district know about our program,” Martin said. “It is a great way to make friends before school starts.
“I have also heard that the sixth-grade class is pretty large in numbers, so proportionally I am sure there is a connection.”
Martin believes there is an appeal to running for some students who may not have the confidence level or skill-set needed to join a team sport.
“Overall, success in running looks different than success in a lot of sports,” she said. “For starters, we don’t make cuts in cross-country.
“This gives some of those young athletes a chance to try something and not be worried about skill level coming in. Most often when they try it, they continue it.
“Along with this, every athlete gets to participate in every meet up until postseason. There are really no sidelines for our healthy athletes.”
It’s easy to chart progress, too.
“Success can be measured individually in cross-country, too,” Martin added. “While we bring home a lot of team trophies, we also bring home a lot of athletes who have achieved personal records and have learned a little bit more about what they can accomplish, both physically and mentally.
“The rewards that are built into a sport like cross-country are way deeper than a number on a race clock. These types of rewards make cross-country an enticing sport to be a part of.”
It can be intimidating to see the M-S clan — the entire M-S clan — show up for an away meet.
Two buses are required to transport the 100-plus runners and their coaches.
“We used to fit on one large bus, three to a seat,” Martin said.
Interest in running can also be traced to an initiative which was implemented at Lincoln Trail (for third- through fifth-graders), under the guidance of Kayli Elliott.
“Another program that has helped build young, confident female athletes in our district is ‘Girls on the Run’ “ Martin said. “That has helped develop strong, confident young females.
“On the other end, the success that our high school programs have brought to the community is also something to be noted as to increased interest in our program.”
The high school boys teams have captured back-to-back Class 2A state championships. The high school girls’ team placed fourth at state in 2017 and is ranked among the top 10 statewide for this season.
Junior high team practices are more than providing the young athletes a distance to cover for the day and sending them on their way.
“We try to mix things up at practice,” Martin said. “Sometimes we do relay races, sometimes long runs for exploring our practice location.
“Overall though, we don’t have to do much to keep the kids’ interest. Running creates interest in itself. For those who are not long distance runners, I know this sounds silly, but it is really true.”
Martin said that building team camaraderie and relationships with the coaches are an integral part of the experience.
“If you ask most of our runners if they are having fun, they will say ‘yes’ and it’s not because we play games,” she said. “It is because we work out with a purpose and try to make sure the kids all feel valued in the effort they put forth.
“The families in our program also host pasta parties before big invitationals. Usually the night before, a family will open their home to the whole team for a pasta feed. This is where a lot of the true memories are made.
“So far this year, the host families have noted how respectful the athletes are when in their homes. Respect is something we talk about nearly every day at practice, before we hit the practice field and after we finish.”
Since there are restrictions from the Illinois Elementary School Association on how many individuals per school can participate in the postseason competitions, the M-S junior high coaches select a postseason team.
This year, that group will be announced on Sept. 29. Between 10 and 15 runners will remain with both the boys’ and girls’ programs.
Junior high athletes compete in 2-mile cross-country courses, but move up to a 3-mile distance in high school.
The exception is for a few early-season meets for sixth-graders.
“We start our season with several of our meets hosting a sixth-grade 1-mile race,” Martin said.
Most area schools have junior high cross-country programs with 30 to 40 students, although Martin noted that St. Joseph-Ogden also has in excess of 100 participants this year.
“This is the first sport that families can be a part of in connection with the school district (to start the school year),” Martin said. “It is important for us to go over what that means — sportsmanship, respect, dedication and relationships.
“The running part is only a very small percentage of what cross-country has to offer new families to school sports.
“It is pretty awesome though because the families that decide to give our sport a try are innately understanding of all of these concepts. It really does make being a coach much more rewarding because we know that we have parents who appreciate the nature of the sport for what it has to offer.”
Goal-setting is a part of the M-S program. They are not the obvious ones that involve times or places.
“When it comes to goals, we focus more on what the athletes are learning during their time with us and whether or not they have found something about running that will stay with them for a lifetime,” Martin said. “When it comes to goals, we usually ask them to find a teammate that they are able to focus on and try to work to run with them.
“This, in turn, pushes the teammate they are trying to catch up to. Time goals are hard to set because of the difference in courses. So it really is about focusing on how hard work can help us feel more confident when at the line.
“With only a small few making the varsity lineup, we hope all of our runners strive to make this cut. However, more importantly, we hope they learn something about themselves that they didn’t know before. Often this is how mentally tough they are. Running is very much a physical sport, but even more so, it is mental. These lessons can be carried over into all other areas of life.”
The team is successful on all fronts. M-S has participated in five meets thus far. Some are non-scored.
Of the ones where point totals were tabulated, the M-S boys have been first in 3 out of 3. The girls have taken first in one invitational and were the runner-up in two others, twice finishing second to the defending state champions from Tolono Unity.
“Each meet has been a learning opportunity.” Martin said.
One of the unscored meets was last Friday’s Chrisman Cowchip Classic.
Each school entered 10 runners per grade level (five boys and five girls) and there was an open race for all other competitors.
In the race for sixth-grade girls, Avah Turner was second, Ava Jansen was sixth and Reese Gallier was seventh.
In the race for sixth-grade boys, Ty Clark was second and Camden Heinold was fifth.
In the race for seventh-grade girls, Avah Boyd was fourth.
In the race for seventh-grade boys, Finn Randolph was fourth and Kai Jones was 10th.
In the race for eighth-grade girls, Abby Bunting was seventh.
In the race for eighth-grade boys, Gabe Difanis was third and Gage Williams was eighth.
In the girls’ 125-runner open race, M-S teammates Alaina Jared and Janel Straub swept the top two positions.
In the boys’ open race, the top two M-S placers were Brenden Mercer and Eli Stelle.
Three upcoming home meets are on the schedule. They will be on Sept. 13, Sept. 20 and Sept. 25 at the Swiss Valley area in Lake of the Woods.
Martin said the course, “recognized for its beauty and true cross-country environment,” is “one of the top race sites in the state.”
Martin never tires of a sport that has been a part of her life for multiple decades.
“At the end of the day, as both a coach and athlete of this sport nearly every year since I was in fifth grade, I can say it gets more exciting every year,” Martin said. “As coaches, we get to make new friends with all of the new families we meet.
“We get to enjoy success and learn from opportunities that can make us better. We get to watch our athletes support each other and other teams’ athletes.
“It is truly an amazing sport. I honestly, don’t think I have ever left a meet without having moments during the meet where I look out and appreciate what we have.”
She doesn’t see herself stepping aside any time soon.
“Coaching this sport is what I was meant to do,” Martin said. “I just have to thank the families for providing the coaches with an atmosphere where we feel valued. We hope that the families feel the respect from us in return.”
