The Beginning of the End
Photo Credit: St. Olaf Athletics.
The end of October is nigh and conference meets are around the corner. The weather is cooling, and runners are peaking and tapering for championship postseason. As the beginning of postseason, conference is the start of the end of cross country. For many, conference is the last meet of the season. And for some seniors, it will be their last cross country race as a collegiate runner. Conference is a meet like any other, but with the addition of conference rivals and hopes of glory for the team. It’s sentimental by nature and timing.
Sakariya Hussein, of the men’s team at Augsburg University, spoke of how his team emphasizes the work they’ve put in during the season. He said his team “… take[s] it chill. We emphasize we’re ready for it; we’ve done the training.” At Wash U, where they travel to conference via flight, assistant coach Molly Shepard stressed, “There’s always an extra element of excitement when you get on a plane, but at the end of the day it’s just another 6k or 8k, and so where we are doesn’t matter as all the prep work we’ve done to get there.”
For runners who will compete at Regionals, and have a shot at running at Nationals, conference is their chance to prove themselves. For others, it’s their last race. Conference is the last meet many teams will run together. It’s the last time for seniors to run with everyone in one race, or as Ellen Mickelson (a senior at St. Olaf) put it, “[It’s] one last hurrah with everyone together.” For Mickelson, conference this year is extra special, since it will be held on St. Olaf’s home course. She said, “It’s kind of surreal, being a senior and thinking this is the last time I’m going to run the course and the last time I’m going to run with a lot of people, but it’s also kind of really exciting we have the opportunity to do that at home this year.”
Being the last time for a team to race together, the conference meet is a team-bonding experience. At Augsburg, runners “Take it as a time to remember why we do it — we do it for our teammates,” said Hussein. The smaller size of conference meets emphasizes the team aspect of cross country, where each person’s place counts. Where working with your teammates to pick off opponents is important.
With a meet that signifies the track season is nearing, tradition enters the picture. At Concordia-Moorhead and Wisconsin-River Falls, the men’s teams grow out mustaches. At St. Olaf and Concordia, teams have a spirit week the week of conference. Spirit week examples include neon day, class colors, beach day and team spirit day. At Concordia, the women’s team randomly assigns buddies, who anonymously give each other gifts every meet, until they are finally revealed after the conference race.
While these specific traditions aren’t anything outlandish, they’re a way to engage with and focus on the goal. Alex Lerum, of Concordia’s men’s team, said these traditions are “ … a good motivator. Once you get to the later part of the season, it can be hard to stay focused … [it’s a] constant reminder to keep working to the end.” Mickelson agreed, saying traditions are a way to celebrate “The culmination of a lot of work … and for many people, their last 6k. We want to make [conference] fun and make sure everyone’s in a good spot.”