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While most teenagers spend their summers sleeping in, the cross-country team members have been getting up bright and early to practice. These runners have been meeting at Ballast Point Park daily since June 1 at 7:30 a.m. From there, they continue their run down Bayshore in the scorching heat.
Since cross-country is such a demanding sport, consistency is very important. The girls’ and boys’ teams have been running every day to build up their endurance and keep their minds and bodies in shape.
Although the current members are very diligent in their preparation for the season, physical obstacles are not the only ones they have to overcome. Both teams have grown pretty small due to runners who either left Robinson or stepped away from cross-country and are looking for potential new recruits who will be committed to the team.
“Our team is pretty small, so it’s important that we all stay healthy and injury-free,” said Bryn White (’25), Capitan of the Girls’ Cross Country Team.
While this is a challenge that both the girls and boys face, it is not the only challenge facing the boys’ team. On top of adjusting to new runners, they are still lacking a coach.
“I think it will be challenging for us to get used to an almost entirely new team… and potentially a new coach as well, depending on how things play out,” said Jack Wittmer, a senior member of the boys’ cross country team.
Despite being confronted with adversity, these teams refuse to let these challenges slow them down. Both teams have big goals for the upcoming season which they are determined to achieve, such as returning to the Florida High School Cross Country State Championships in Tallahassee at the end of the season. Additionally, the girls hope to compete for a district title and the top ten in the state.
The runners are optimistic about the upcoming season, hoping to achieve their goals despite losing many seniors last year.
“[I’m] looking forward to this team which has immense potential to set the tone for the next few seasons as there are no seniors,” said Mark Altimari, who is the head coach for the Girls’ team.
White shares Altimari’s sentiment, believing the largely underclassmen team has a great season ahead.
“I think our team will perform well this year. This is our rebuilding year and it’s already looking great for us. Our returning sophomores and incoming freshmen are strong and I have full faith that we are going to crush this season,” White added.
