By Charles Pan, Middle School Staff Writer

Dashing across the finish line, the Newark Academy Middle School Cross Country team takes first place yet again. The head coach, Ms. Santos, looks on and comments, “All in a day’s work.” “Yes, indeed, this is the work of a very good team,” remarks assistant coach Mr. Ball.

A good team should be composed of a great range of athletes. There should be several strong ones that can lead their team to victory and others that are working to become the best. There must be lots of team spirit and determination. Everybody should support each other and harbor a positive environment to improve.

The Middle School Cross Country fits that description word for word. This year, we have many new students running, thus adding to our potential and creating a healthy competitive environment. This pushes everybody to do his or her best.

Ms. Santos and Mr. Ball add a lot of insight and bring something fresh to the sport. There has been a very positive environment where everybody is encouraged to grow and become a better runner. Our coaches are really helpful motivating us and giving us tips to make us push ourselves farther than what we think we can. These are just a few of the things that make this year’s Middle School Cross Country so successful.

Shaan Pandiri, a veteran eighth grader who has been in the program for two years, said that the team has a great depth of runners and not many weaknesses to show. He thought that more emphasis should be put on conditioning in order to run faster. Shaan thought that the coaches could be a bit harder on the runners.

Matthew and Michael Lim, twin eighth graders who are also veterans to the program, both said that this year, the team has many good runners instead of the one star, who helps us win our meets. On the other hand, they both agreed that the behavior of the runners could be better. Matthew mentioned that many runners have poor posture, correcting this would lead many to be better runners. Michael stated that he enjoyed the free runs that were done during practice, where students were allowed to run anywhere in the campus as long as they kept running. He says that he would like to see more of these happen in the future. He concluded by saying that cross-country was not just for competition but also for improving, getting into shape, and having fun. Paul Brown, an eighth grader who is also familiar with the program, thinks that the team’s main weakness is that there is too much walking. He is of the view that the runners should be pushed harder. As of now, Paul is confident with program and doesn’t see any changes that are needed. Practicing more often and practicing harder while emphasizing the fact there should be no walking are a few things that he thinks should be done to produce better runners. Ryan Gajarawala, a seventh grader in his second year with the program, said that the runners have to work on individual goals and push themselves to do the best. He brought up the point of how one’s diet plays an important role in running: eating less dairy and oily foods will reduce lactic acid buildup while running, making the activity easier. He really likes the way the program pushes its runners so when competing; they are ready.

Ms. Diana Santos, head coach of the team thought that one of the group’s main strengths was the ability to work together. She likes how the runners are always pushing and encouraging each other. She says that the team is always looking to improve their time and striving to become better runners. Ms. Santos is always telling the runners how important it is to have a strong core to improve their running. She said that practicing is a huge factor in making better runners as well. She believes that pushing yourself to go a little faster and farther than the previous day is a great way to become a better runner. This being her first year as a coach, she says that she couldn’t ask for a finer group.

Overall, everybody feels that the cross-country team is superb and is very strong. But, there are a few small things to improve upon which the team can become even better. Many think that the cross-country program is excellent and they enjoy being part of the team and the healthy environment where everybody is encouraged to do their best. With a little determination and grit, the runners can become even faster and evolve into the most formidable middle school cross-country team in history.