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by Michael Smith Grain Valley Cross country coach Nick Small and first-year assistant Breanne Norton made a strong effort to recruit more runners to the program for 2024. It seems to have paid off as numbers for the team’s summer workouts have increased since 2023 as an average of 15 girls and 20 boys have been attending since late May. “Coach Small and I recruited really hard this year,” Norton said. “He said this year was the hardest we’ve ever recruited. We wanted to find kids who fit our program well.” “We go to the middle schools at the end of the school year and we talk to them about our team and get their contact info so our older kids can reach out to them. At school, neither Small nor I are shy about talking to kids and letting them know they could be good at this. That goes a long success and camaraderie.” Part of the sales pitch for Norton to get students to join the team involves getting some conditioning in for those who mainly only participate in winter or spring spots. Those already a part of the team have gotten in on the act too, and have reached out to their friends and those in middle school to join. “We sent a text out to the incoming freshman and some of the girls in our grade who might be good or who might be interested so they could come to our practices and see what it’s all about,” Grain Valley senior Amyah Graybill said. Added senior Jordan Gossage: “We have a lot more girls showing up this year, especially freshmen and underclassmen. We will have more girls than we have had in the past. My sister is a freshman and I have been trying to get her to invite her friends to come and join the team.” And it’s an easy sport to pick up, which helps ease in some of the newcomers. Junior Landon Blew said he thinks those who witness the team chemistry is what makes people want to join the squad. Cross country is also a relatively inexpensive sport to pick up. The girls usually run eight to nine miles per day while the males are averaging about 11 to 12. “With running, as long as you’re smart about it, it’s one of the easiest sports to pick up,” Grain Valley senior Landon Barnes said. “All you need is a pair of shoes. You can just go on runs and get better.” Building team chemistry and building endurance for the fall season are two of the most important aspects of the summer workouts. Currently, the team meets and runs five days per week over the summer at four different trails, including one at the high school. The girls usually run eight to nine miles per day while the males are averaging about 11 to 12. “I think the summer workouts help build physical and mental toughness,” Norton said. “We do some hard workouts in the summer. We push through those so when race time comes in the fall, you can make it through the race. You know you can because you did it over the summer. A lot of these kids love to be here and love to run.”  Grain Valley junior Landon Blew, left, and senior Landon Barnes have been two of the 20 boys who have been attending the summer workouts for the cross country team Photo credit: Michael Smith  From left, Grain Valley seniors Clara DeMoro, Amyah Graybill and Jordan Gossage have helped recruit more girls to join the team's summer workouts. Photo credit: Michael Smith  Comments are closed.
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