Running varsity as freshmen is not easy, but each of the girls has their own motivation that keeps them going. Magee explains that while teammates are a huge part of the sport, the drive has to come from within. “Cross country is a self-driven sport, and while teammates provide motivation, personal motivation is crucial during races,” she said.

Price has her eyes on some big goals, including breaking 18 minutes in 3.1 miles by the end of the season. Thinking about the future, she hopes to keep running in college. She credits her mom as her biggest supporter and inspiration.

Hurst shares a similar determination. Her most recent time was 19 minutes and 24 seconds and she’s motivated to break the 19-minute barrier once she recovers. Hurst points to her family and the support of her team as her biggest encouragement.

Moving from junior high to varsity competition is a big jump, and the girls have already faced their share of challenges. Magee admits that dealing with nerves and the pressure of varsity races has not been easy. She said that her teammates have helped her stay calm, and she is learning how to balance the pressure with staying focused.

For Price, one of the biggest adjustments has been racing against older and more experienced runners. In junior high, she was one of the top girls, but varsity feels completely different. “It can be scary,” she admitted, but she uses breathing and warm-ups to keep her nerves under control. Her schedule is also tough—between cross country practice and swim practice after school, she gets most of her schoolwork done during study hall.

Hurst agrees that varsity comes with both mental and physical challenges. She says that it can be tough to stay motivated against more experienced competition, but she uses breathing exercises and the “ShakeOut” routine which consists of counting to ten while shaking your hands and feet one at a time to help her. When it comes to school, she feels lucky that she remembers things well in class, so after practice she mostly focuses on finishing homework. “It’s important to keep a positive mindset and remind myself that I’ll be fine,” she said.

Every runner has their own pre-race traditions, and these freshmen are no different. Magee keeps things lucky by wearing her lucky necklace, eating waffles with peanut butter on race day mornings, and writing her lucky number, 22, on her hand.

Hurst does not have any lucky charms herself, but one of her friends always braids her hair before meets, which has turned into a ritual she looks forward to. Both Hurst and Price also use a routine where they shake out different parts of their bodies and count—it helps them loosen up and focus before the race begins.

No matter the individual routines, all three girls agree that the encouragement of their teammates is what gets them in the right mindset. Whether it is calming nerves or building up excitement, the team bond at SHS is what brings them together at the starting line.