Running During a Pandemic- Cross Country 2020

It might not be surprising to hear that Cross Country, like almost everything else, was a little different this year.  According to Paul Hjelle each day started with each athlete getting a temperature check.  At the start of the season the runners were quiet, and not as outgoing as usual.   The meets were different, with only 3 teams being able to compete at a time.  If there were more than 24 runners, they staggered the start of the groups by a minute.  At some of the meets there were 18 teams, and the meet had to be held 6 different times on that day.  With fewer teams competing the meets were less exciting, and the meet schedule was constantly changing.  This was frustrating for the coaches and runners.  

Even with all the uncertainty this year the team still did exceptionally well.   Anthony Scholler said,¨I feel the team did great this year.  There was a lot of improvement from everybody.  I hope to see this same kind of improvement next season.¨   When asked how she thought the team did this year Anna Windels, one of the Girls Captains, responded,¨I think we did fantastic.  We had so many girls that performed so well, plus some returning runners who pushed themselves to get their PRs.  I was really proud of us at every meet.¨  

Anna Windels is a graduating senior this year.  She was born in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, but has lived here for 17 years.  She loves that International Falls is cold.  Anna had the opportunity to take college classes at Rainy River Community College, and this has helped her challenge herself.  She loves the small, tight knit teams that make Falls High School´s teams very fun to participate in.  COVID-19 has taken a lot of the fun out of Anna Windels´ Senior year, but she is ready to graduate, although she will miss Cross Country more than she cares to admit.  

As stated by Paul Hjelle, ¨I always try to be upfront and honest with the runners, and tell them that they can succeed.  Every race becomes easier and before they know it, one mile becomes two miles, two miles become three as they build up their endurance.   The captains provide leadership and are encouraging of them to do their best.¨

This year the Girls team took first place in three meets, they placed second in three meets, and they received third place at the IRCs  at sections the girls placed seventh out of sixteen teams.  The boy´s team tried their best this year, battling injuries throughout the season.

When asked what it was like seeing the seniors run over the past few years Hjelle responded, ¨When they are younger, you are never quite sure if they'll stick with it because of how difficult it is.  As they gain experience, they gain confidence and mental toughness, as well as physical strength and maturity.  Things get easier as they get older and stronger.  Many Cross Country runners become lifelong runners because of their experiences as a runner in high school.¨

Anna Windels achieved her goal this year.  She dropped nearly three minutes.  She used to always motivate herself by saying, ¨Its only twenty five minutes of my life,¨ but she had to start saying twenty one instead of twenty five, because she ran mostly twenty one minute miles this year.  Anthony Scholler, one of the boys captains, feels like he did good this year, but he hopes to improve more next year.  He plans to run every day to build up his endurance.

Hi my name is Emma Saxton, and I am the author of this article!  To learn more about me click here