Cross Country Team Prepares Intensely for 2007 Season

Hanging out by the pool, working a job and enjoying quality time with friends are just some of the summer activities that most students enjoy. But members of the cross country team had a much different summer experience than most students.
With the 2007 season fast approaching, most members of the squad spent a large part of their summers doing what they do best: running.
“They have to keep running. In order for them to get into the best shape for the season, it takes time,” said head coach Nathaniel Taylor. “They have to practice and run day-in, day-out; you can’t put it off.”
The team had an intense summer of training, as they were expected to run between 100 and 120 miles a week, even with temperatures often soaring above 90 degrees. Charlie Hatch, a sophomore in the College of Engineering, was impressed by his teammates’ intense workout schedule.
“Apparently everybody has been working,” he said. “I want to do at least 90 miles a week, every week. I want to do that this year. You just got to treat it like your job, you got to work like a machine.”
Away from their intense workout schedules, some of the members built team chemistry while living with each other during the summer. They even developed their own version of Hell’s Kitchen where they cooked for one another.
Senior Sage Canaday explained, “We made meals for each other, some people could cook — others couldn’t. There was one time where we burned rice and the rice ended up being black and stuck to the pan so we had to threw it out. ”
They even had the chance to ride the go-karts in Ithaca.
“Next time we ride go-karts, I am going to beat [teammate Matt Casak],” Canaday said. “Because I am definitely a better driver than he is.”
While some stayed in Ithaca to train for the upcoming season, others went home and decided to take the typical college student summer job.
“I worked at a lab at a local hospital where I got to examine blood samples and see reactions in blood with different chemicals,” said Junior Zach Hine.
“My favorite part of the job was the hours, I worked from noon to 8:00pm. I got the chance to run before and after work which I really liked.”
Now with the summer coming to a close, the Red is in full preparation mode for its upcoming season and the pressures of being a D-1 student-athlete.
“It just takes time to adjust to having schoolwork and sports. It’s tough, but I’ll get used to it,” Hines said.