Striking Through the Silence

On your tenth minute of convincing yourself that you aren’t out of breath, and the pain in your stomach is a pure myth, you turn the corner and finally see it. A mysterious gear turns and you find one final burst of speed from the last person next to you. The ribbon draws nearer and you tear through it. Victory finally yours, you turn around and the crowd goes…

Silent. This is what South’s cross country team has had to face this season, in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. Their season began with the critical asterisk that there could be no spectators, not a soul to scream out when you cross the finish line ahead of anyone else.

“[it] can suck when racing because lots of motivation comes from the fans,” said Sam Chase, junior.

Still, the boys of South cross country have found success through this struggle. All seven top runners have gotten times under eighteen minutes, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished in several years. 

Chase himself has achieved a personal record time in each meet this season, currently holding a 17:45.

The concern with fans has eased a bit over the season, with recent meets allowing each competitor to bring two guests for spectating. Either way the team has stayed diligent and been improving steadily

“I’ve just kept working hard to get results even with odd circumstances we’re having this year.” Said Chase