Cross country at Frederick High School has expanded in recent years, providing a place for all athletes alike to join a supportive community. Whether athletes joined because running is their main sport, cross training, or to be with friends, the community at cross country (XC) is undeniable.

Head Coach Ptaschek (Coach P), wrote, “my favorite thing about the team is that we truly are a family. As cliché as it sounds, there’s nothing quite like bonding over countless miles of running and just chatting along the way.”

Furthermore, when athletes were asked about their favorite part of XC, the overall answer was the positive community that surrounds the program.

Josh Moore, a sophomore, said, “My favorite part about XC is the encouraging community.”

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Allison McCormick

When athletes aren’t running or warming up, they are motivating their teammates. Hailey Pollard and Jessica Ellinger cheer on fellow athletes as they approach the finish line.

Hailey Pollard, junior, continued this attribute saying that it is “100% the community. I love my team so much and XC wouldn’t be the same without them.”

The program’s motto “Positive Vibes, Negative Splits” correlates with this perfectly. The motto originated with an athlete Coach P had a few years ago and it just stuck.

The “Positive Vibes” refers to the team aspect, while “Negative Splits” is a direct connection to the sport as a whole. In many races, runners aim to get faster and faster each mile, also known as having negative splits.

As the program has grown, the accomplishments of the team has grown as well due to the addition of many new athletes.

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Allison McCormick

Tyrie Holokahi-Wilkinson and Noah Boyce run together at the Lyons cross country meet. As they run, they encourage and push each other all the way to the finish line.

Coach P spoke on the expansion of the program, noting how when she took over a few years ago they only had 8 girls and 14 boys. However, this season there are about 20 girls and 20 boys, allowing them to have a junior varsity and a varsity teams for both genders.

At a recent race, Runners Roost, the Frederick XC team had an astounding day of accomplishments. The boys team placed second overall and the girls team placed third overall at the meet, both receiving a plaque.

This year, a record was also broken in the 5k by senior Tanner Kaufman. Tanner defeated the 10 year old record time of 16:35 with a time of 16:32.

Overall, cross country is a program at Frederick that is gaining speed and attention not only because of their growth and accomplishments, but also because of their amazing community.