50p
A Team that Turns Punishment Into Sport
Take a second to imagine this feeling. Your legs are heavy, you can’t breathe, and your entire body is aching. The cause of all this pain is running, a sport that is every other sports’ punishment. Now, why would anybody choose to do this to themselves?
I have the answer for you. This year, Brentwood’s cross country program is the biggest it has ever been because students want to take part in a sport that makes up the best hour of anyone’s day. In the beginning, many kids were very skeptical about the thought of running for an hour straight: I was someone who couldn’t fathom why anybody thought this would be a good idea.
If the program didn’t have Ms Reynolds, Mr Skardal, and Mr Mullin jogging by our side every step of the way, we would probably fall apart. Ms Reynolds always has her Tabata timer on hand for ‘killer abs’ before every single run (although I still can’t find my abs). Mr Skardal is always prepared with his bandanas and giving every runner a trail name, and Mr Mullin is always encouraging, training, and making everyone moan during his intense speed work sessions.
Cross country is one sport that is inclusive of any person of any speed range. Nobody feels left out because there is a group for everyone depending on their speed. Even though there are different groups of runners, everyone does the same run and gets to struggle together, even on days when we do destination runs at Mt Tzouhalem, a very steep trail with a very beautiful view!
Usually, the first term is the competitive season for cross country, but this year there are no in-person competitions due to Covid, but there will be some virtual competitions where the Brentwood team will be sure to give their best efforts!
Cross country is the only sport at Brentwood that gets to explore the relaxing trails around Mill Bay that Mr Skardal is so fond of. Once a week, we also venture out by bus for a change of scenery to places such as the Kinsol Trestle and Thetis Lake. According to Mr Skardal, cross country is great because of all the “secret handshakes and lots of nicknames. But, what really sets cross country over the top is Ms Reynolds!”
I think that the community that the cross country team has built is what truly makes this sport amazing. Bright A, Privett ‘21 (trail name: Ghost of Bright) points out the fact that cross country is the only team that has “only lost two kids to bears”, Ghost of Bright being one of them. This is only one example of the wholesome inside jokes that the team shares.
Ms Reynolds gets the privilege of running with the speedy grade eights - her ducklings - along with Lucinda G (trail name: Mulligan Sulligan) and Emily W (trail name: Tofu Dog Runner). The team has collectively come to the agreement that Ms Reynolds is an asset to the team, but she thinks that “cross country wouldn’t be anything without [her] ducklings.”
At the end of the day, cross country is also an individual sport, but Brentwood has been able to form a tight-knit and inclusive community. Cross Country Captain, Blanca G (trail name: Blanca Blanca), Allard ‘21, shares that when she joined the team four years ago it was an “overwhelming experience in the beginning but [she] instantly fell in love with it. Being on the cross country team has been a highlight of [her] time at Brentwood” and she is so grateful to be able to work with Ms Reynolds, Mr Skardal, and Mr Mullin to give back everything she has gained from cross country.
If you keep an eye out for the cross country team running in a pack through the trails of Mill Bay, you will definitely catch sight of the smiling faces that each runner carries!
Emily N (trail name: Sassy Fierce), Allard ‘22
I have the answer for you. This year, Brentwood’s cross country program is the biggest it has ever been because students want to take part in a sport that makes up the best hour of anyone’s day. In the beginning, many kids were very skeptical about the thought of running for an hour straight: I was someone who couldn’t fathom why anybody thought this would be a good idea.
If the program didn’t have Ms Reynolds, Mr Skardal, and Mr Mullin jogging by our side every step of the way, we would probably fall apart. Ms Reynolds always has her Tabata timer on hand for ‘killer abs’ before every single run (although I still can’t find my abs). Mr Skardal is always prepared with his bandanas and giving every runner a trail name, and Mr Mullin is always encouraging, training, and making everyone moan during his intense speed work sessions.
Cross country is one sport that is inclusive of any person of any speed range. Nobody feels left out because there is a group for everyone depending on their speed. Even though there are different groups of runners, everyone does the same run and gets to struggle together, even on days when we do destination runs at Mt Tzouhalem, a very steep trail with a very beautiful view!
Usually, the first term is the competitive season for cross country, but this year there are no in-person competitions due to Covid, but there will be some virtual competitions where the Brentwood team will be sure to give their best efforts!
Cross country is the only sport at Brentwood that gets to explore the relaxing trails around Mill Bay that Mr Skardal is so fond of. Once a week, we also venture out by bus for a change of scenery to places such as the Kinsol Trestle and Thetis Lake. According to Mr Skardal, cross country is great because of all the “secret handshakes and lots of nicknames. But, what really sets cross country over the top is Ms Reynolds!”
I think that the community that the cross country team has built is what truly makes this sport amazing. Bright A, Privett ‘21 (trail name: Ghost of Bright) points out the fact that cross country is the only team that has “only lost two kids to bears”, Ghost of Bright being one of them. This is only one example of the wholesome inside jokes that the team shares.
Ms Reynolds gets the privilege of running with the speedy grade eights - her ducklings - along with Lucinda G (trail name: Mulligan Sulligan) and Emily W (trail name: Tofu Dog Runner). The team has collectively come to the agreement that Ms Reynolds is an asset to the team, but she thinks that “cross country wouldn’t be anything without [her] ducklings.”
At the end of the day, cross country is also an individual sport, but Brentwood has been able to form a tight-knit and inclusive community. Cross Country Captain, Blanca G (trail name: Blanca Blanca), Allard ‘21, shares that when she joined the team four years ago it was an “overwhelming experience in the beginning but [she] instantly fell in love with it. Being on the cross country team has been a highlight of [her] time at Brentwood” and she is so grateful to be able to work with Ms Reynolds, Mr Skardal, and Mr Mullin to give back everything she has gained from cross country.
If you keep an eye out for the cross country team running in a pack through the trails of Mill Bay, you will definitely catch sight of the smiling faces that each runner carries!
Emily N (trail name: Sassy Fierce), Allard ‘22