On August 17th, the Cross Country team kicked off its 2017 season at Highland with the first of its nine competitive meets.

In a competition involving 62 schools and over 1500 participants, Bingham’s varsity team rankings, male and female, are impressive feats. The boys’ team placed 6th and the girls’ team placed 16th in the statewide meet, outperforming Copper Hills High School but falling just behind Riverton. This was just the beginning of a long string of successes, both for individuals and the team. A pattern brought on by a vigorous practice regimen and close-knit team structure.

A regular day for a member of the cross country team begins before the sun is up. During the season team members are expected to be at school every morning as early as 5:00 am to run three miles, an imperative part of the training process. After school, they are subjected to either more of the same or intense weight training. This continues all season long, pushing and improving the limits of the athlete’s bodies, giving them the ability to run long distances and produce their successful track record.

Another factor contributing to the team’s prosperity, according to varsity team member and junior Collette Clyde, is its encouraging and supportive environment. When asked how Cross Country was unique from other sports, she said,“the passionate teammates cheering from the sidelines” along with a significant level of improvement in performance. She believes that without this supportive team structure, the season wouldn’t have seen the success it has and even went so far as to attribute her own success to these factors, on and off the field.

“Cross country has made me a hard worker, and helped me make friends I otherwise would not have had,” she said. To her, they are “all friends pushing each other to get better.”

Going by her own experiences, Clyde urges people who “are determined and don’t give up easily” to join the cross country team. None of the sport’s aspects, whether it be the training, competition or the dedication of time, are easy to commit to; the payoff for some, however, is the capacity to perform at the level they have been able to.

“It’s hard work,” Collette elaborated “but it’s really fun to improve a bunch and see the results of your hard work.”

Dylan Tidwell is another example of the thriving accomplishments of Bingham’s cross country team. With only one year of experience, and on his first year on the varsity team, he has managed to place in the last five meets he’s been to. At the Murray Invitational meet, he placed 17th out of a total of 216 contestants, a considerable victory for both him and Bingham athletics.

A comprehensive list of Bigham’s cross country track record can be found at athletic.net, along with that of other schools and future meet information.