Cross Country: A sport with no timeouts

By Laurie Gordon
NEWTON — The sport of cross country is a combination of mental and physical and for three runners on the Kittatinny High School team, it's also something they didn't think they would do this year.

Freshman Bradley Heinke has overcome leukemia, freshman Ciana Roman had heart surgery last year and for sophomore Isaiah Wood, running has been the saving grace that gotten him away from some bad choices.

Heinke was diagnosed with lymphoblastoma, a type of leukemia, in 2002. She doesn't remember much about that time save her first ambulance ride, a Sponge Bob thermometer her mother would use and a woman named Dianne Jones who did a marathon to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society through Team in Training in her honor. Heinke, of Sandyston, went out for cross country at the urging of friends and said what keeps her going when she's tired or it's hard is knowing there are kids who are sick, like she was, who can't run. She's been cancer free for years now but does have exercised-induced asthma.

“My goal is to do the best I can and to keep up with others on the team.”

Kittatinny is a choice school, so kids from other districts can opt to attend high school there as opposed to the district in which their residence falls. This is the case with freshman Roman who lives in Warren County but opted to go to Kittatinny. Roman has always liked endurance sports, but when she almost fainted in the pool due to a contrition called supraventricular tachyucardia (rapid heart rate caused by electrical impulses) she thought her endurance sports days were done. Last year she underwent heart surgery to correct the problem. She thrives with singing and dancing and now, thanks to the surgery, can add endurance sports back to her life.

“I'm excited to see what I can do this season,” she said.

Wood gave up football and started running at age eight. He was a part of the Bears Youth Running Program for years, and was famous for chasing after his coaches to run with them for a little bit when their running route happened to take them by his house. Wood, of Stillwater, attended and ran for Susex Tech last fall and ran some pretty fast times. Then he went down a wrong road.

“I made some bad choices and did some stupid things,” he said. He'll be a sophomore at Kittatinny and attributes rediscovering running and cross country as his means to stay on track. “For now I try to keep up, but once I get back in shape, I'd like to run 16 minutes for the 5K.”

Changing Perception
High school cross country meets don't generally draw a lot of spectators.

“All sports are great,” said Kittatinny High's assistant cross country coach, Mary Houghtaling, “But cross country is beautiful. Everyone who does cross country leaves here a stronger person both physically and mentally.”

As to getting people to the meets, senior captain Ian Anderson said, “A lot of people don't understand the sport. It's both individual and team and it takes a lot of work.” Sophomore Molly Ankrom added, “Unlike other sports, you don't get a break.” There aren't subs like in soccer or field hockey, there aren't different lines and special teams like in football and there aren't strings like in ice hockey.

“Once the race starts, there's no break until it's done.” Senior leader Matt Rice said, ““In all sports, you battle somebody, but what's different about cross country is that you don't just battle your competitors, you battle yourself. You always want to shoot for a better time.”

Senior Captain Julia Charlton said, “You have to have a certain special appreciation for the sport. Once people come and watch it, they realize that it's a lot of hard work.” Sophomore Emily Weed called it a “forgotten sport.” Though she has asthma, she wanted to go out for the sport this year to get in shape and for the comradeship. “I think if more people came out and watched us race, more people would understand it.”

A Family Affair
Danny Shackleton, of Hampton, was the only one in his family who didn't run. His younger brother, Jake, was an avid member of the Bears Youth Running Club, and due to Jake's enthusiasm, both his mother, Jackie and father, Bill, caught the running bug. Finally, two years ago, Shackleton decided to go out for seventh grade cross country and he too became hooked. One of the things he likes about the sport is something running legend Tom Fleming told the team over the summer. “You can run anywhere. You don't need fancy equipment.” Shackelton said he likes that about the sport. “You can pretty much run whenever and wherever you want.”

Jared Hansen has younger siblings who run, and their running got his mom, Lydia Hansen, to give it a try. She entered her first 5K race and then another and another, and at her encouragement, Jared gave it a try by going out for the eighth grade cross country team last year. He loved it. His goals for this year are to run continuously for over an hour and to beat 20 minutes for the 5K distance. As for his mother? She'll be on the sidelines watching and will run her first half marathon this October.

Maybe it's not Number One but...

Perrry Maio, of Hampton, is on the team, but for him, it's not exactly about running: it's about wrestling. “I know how much endurance you have to have with wrestling and I believe I can make the varsity squad as a freshman,” he said. That's why he's doing cross country. “You can train on your own, but I think I get much better conditioning by running with the team. We all motivate each other.” Sarah Calderon, also of Hampton, went out for the team to get in better shape for travel soccer. A member of the Vernon Storm, she travels 45 minutes for practice and games can be far away. “I've already seen how cross country has improved my endurance,” she said.

Leading by Example
Some of the team members parents run and all of the parents are encouraging of their kids with the sport. An English teacher at the school, Houghtaling leads her runners by example. Though she just gave birth five months ago, she's going to run the Wineglass Half Marathon in a few weeks. “That's something that sets the sport here apart from other sports,” said Anderson, “Our coaches run at lest part of the workout with us.” As for the community, leaders like Thor Labs CEO, Alex Cable, applauds the area's cross country runners. “We are blessed to have so many miles of trails in our backyard [here in Sussex County].” Cable, who is at the helm of an international company, uses running and cycling to offset the pressures at work. “My athletic passions and performances are intertwined with my business endeavors, each contributing significantly to the other,” he said. He sponsors numerous area road races to help perpetuate the sport in our community.

The Season
“Each member of the team is his or her own individual,” said Senior Captain Katie Maio, of Hampton. “I think how the team does in any given season depends a lot on how we come together as a team and this year is going to be great. The closer we are, the harder we will work and push each other.” She urges classmates and the community to come support the next home meet on Thursday, Sept. 23 when they go against Jefferson and North Warren.

Next Up
Charlton hopes to major in German in college next year and teach one day. Freshman Katie Martin, of Hampton, was unavailable for an interview, but will bring a lot to the team having run 21 minutes at Northwest Christian School. Anderson doesn't know where he wants to go to college next year, but he wants to run wherever he does. Heinke remains cancer free but still appreciates the letters she gets each holiday from Dianne Jones,who was cheering proudly on the sidelines at Heinke's first meet. Rice is hoping for a good season, and after graduation wants to pursue a career in music. Katie Maio really wants to make it all the way to the Meet of Champions this season. Wood recalled chasing after his coaches as a kid to run with them and plans to stay on the straight and narrow path and make them proud. Weed is excited for the races and can't wait for the team pasta dinners the night before. The new runners are determined to give 100 percent and the more seasoned ones are ready to teach them the ropes. This is the sport of cross country. It takes you over hill and dale and sometimes through some mud, pushes your body and mind to the limit and is a true test of the human spirit.