After a grueling season of training, our boys cross country runners are ready to pounce on the state trophy. Last year, Oakdale’s cross country team was unable to beat their stiff competition at states, but the runners are confident that they can pull a win this time. 

Nick Raumann a Varsity runner, said about the team, “We have been very strong, we were able to win counties by a lot without the top 5 going all out.” In a sport where only the top five runners are scored, this says a lot about the team’s chances going forward. 

Throughout the season, our runners have displayed consistency in their training; showing up for practice six days a week, enduring training for nearly three hours a day. During these 18 hours, the team goes through a rigid routine, including running a mile warm-up each day before starting their workout. Workouts range from the usual long distance running, to tailored speed workouts for individual runners. The workout routine changes every day with unique names like “critical velocity” training, and “fartlek” runs. 

These workouts, and the team’s commitment to putting their all when it comes to practicing, are crucial to the success we have seen thus far. Even when the team is unable to practice together they follow workouts at home, keeping their running skills honed even over extended breaks. 

When asked about what makes our team different from other schools teams, Sophomore Nic Moyer replied, ”The team bond,” he continued with a mantra, “We eat as a team, run as a team, and die as a team.” 

Raumann added, “We get better than the other teams by training everyday no matter what, so we are prepared for all elements and we are in the best shape possible.” This preparation was shown at their regional meet, when despite the rainy and muddy conditions, and with runners sliding and falling throughout the treacherous course, our runners were still able to come in first. 

Looking ahead to the state competition, the runners are confident about their prospects. According to Raumann, “The major challenge left is beating Liberty at regionals [something we’ve since done] and states.” 

Last year, Oakdale was stopped just short of the state trophy, and while not succeeding in their goal, they never held anything back. Using that same commitment, the XC team has consistently shown that they have stepped it up; and with the stripes of experience, in addition to their bruising training, our team is back up to the line and ready bring that trophy home.