An Escape

I started running cross country in 7th grade. After running in junior high I realized that I enjoyed it, but I wasn’t yet completely sold on the idea of running high school cross country. The high schoolers always seemed so mature and intimidating to me, and I could never imagine becoming friends with them. After my 8th grade cross country season my dad left our house, and my parents began the divorce process. It changed my life completely and was something I thought about all the time. When my freshmen season of cross country began, I was very nervous. I remember meeting up with some girls on the team in the summer to run. They were so friendly and asked for my number for the team groupchat. Throughout that season I became close with so many people I never expected to be friends with. Practices, campouts, dinners, and other team outings became an escape from any dramas that were going on at home. At the end of my freshmen year I texted my senior friend from the team and told her how much that acceptance meant to me in that difficult time of my life. She replied with “of course, cross country is like a family.” Those words have stuck with me. After finishing a successful junior season, I enter my senior year with the same goal in mind: to treat my team like family.

- Anonymous