Crockett Cross Country 2016

Crockett Cross Country Looks to the Future

By Will Johnson

Messenger Reporter

CROCKETT – There’s a new face in Crockett and she’s hoping to build the Crockett Cross Country program into a powerhouse. Coming back from Beaumont, Kathryn Hall is originally from Lovelady and is another athlete who learned from long-time Grapeland and Lovelady coach Don Tullos.

“I started running cross country in high school because Coach Tullos didn’t like us to run on the track. He thought we might get hurt. He told us cross country would get us in shape for basketball, so he was ok with that,” Coach Hall she laughed.

“Right now, the team is only averaging about eight miles or so per week. If you have a Wednesday meet, you only have Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday to practice,” she said.

Returning to this year’s team are three seniors, one junior and two sophomores. They are: seniors – America Arcibar, Cristal Arvizu and William Easley; junior – Mario Monsivas; and sophomores Flavio Sanchez and Jayda Smith.

“Our typical practices will be after school because I have Jr. High athletics first period and then I have a full day of classes afterwards. We will stretch and warm up some and then I will get out there and run with my team. That way they can see that I’m interested and if they see that I’m interested and I enjoy it, then that will help them enjoy it. We will also use some weights to help build muscle.”

As far as her expectations, the coach said, “I would like the mission statement – the overall goal for Crockett cross country – to be: committed to developing champions both on and off the field. I believe the champion is one who lives by high ideals, knows how to set realistic goals and dedicates themselves to achieving them.”

“The team goals,” Hall added, “are to make the athletic experience enjoyable and enriching. If you go too hard or you do too much, the kids won’t come back. We want to maintain a safe and healthy environment which stresses excellence, dedication and hard work as the basis of success. I truly believe in the concept of the student/athlete like the ancient Greek philosophy of a strong body and a strong mind. We want to help develop a lifelong love of physical fitness. Remember that you should practice so you can compete and always give your best effort. And finally, athletes should set goals for themselves as a team and I, as the coach, will help facilitate those goals. They should be challenging enough for the athletes to extend herself or himself beyond their present skill level.”

As far as her philosophy on the relationship between athletics and education, Hall said, “It has to do with responsibility. If you’re not dedicated in your classes, you will not be able to be dedicated in your event because you will not be able to pass. You have to dedicate yourself to learning, so you can dedicate yourself to athletics. That is kind of like responsibility, dedication and pride all rolled into one. If you have pride in your school academically, then you can have pride in your school athletically.”

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