Cross Country Traditions

Cross country camp is full of traditions. Our traditions vary from playing ninja in the woods instead of running, eating as many Oreos as possible, or running away from the seniors as they pelt underclassmen with icy cold water balloons. Canton Girls Cross Country has hundreds of unique traditions, but some of them are a bit more painful than others. My least favorite and the most agonizing tradition by far is something we call “Dunes Day,” or as I like to call it “Doomsday.” This is the day in the middle of camp, right when the fatigue from running twice a day kicks in, where we face the treacherous and never ending hills of the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes. Though I have survived running the dunes three times, I am surprised that I made it out alive my first time as a freshman.
As a freshman I did not know what to expect. I was shocked by the massive size of the dunes. The dunes made every hill I have ever ran look like a slight bump in
I did as she said and rolled down the remainder of the hill. She did the same. I reached the bottom of the hill before she did, and stood up. The world around me was spinning as I felt Paige’s body crash at my feet. I fell down again, but I was uncontrollably laughing this time.
“See, it’s not so bad.” Paige said as we were lying on the hot, sandy, ground. She was right. While the way up sucked, the way down was fun and made the whole experience worth it and without Paige by my side, I wouldn’t have been able to make it up in the first place.
Now, as I approach my senior year of cross country, I look back on this memory fondly. While Dunes Day will always be the bane of my existence, Paige taught me that you can get through anything with your team by your side. This memory also reminds me to give the freshman on the team a break. As I approach my final season as senior captain, I need to remember that I was in their shoes once and nothing’s worse than facing dunes