Today I thought I'd get a little exercise so I ran with the St. Mark's team during their cross country practice in Bradley Park. Talk about a humbling experience! Just call me Caboose. I discovered that our kids are fast. And nice. They didn't make fun of me (at least to my face).
Coach John Stephens is preparing our students for the meets, which start next week and are about two miles long. Let me say a few words about Coach Stephens. He is one of the people who makes St. Mark's such a great community. I will get more exact figures for you later, but he served for years as the school's Athletic Director and continues to coach cross country and basketball, even though his children are long gone from St. Mark's. He loves to see students develop and improve athletically and as people. This--improvement more than winning--seems to me to be his motivation for working with kids.
At cross country practice, Coach Stephens has them warm up, run starts, run finishes, and run in betweens. It adds up to a lot of running. He pushes them in an encouraging way. My Luke is more of sprinter and 400 meter guy. But he is getting into shape and learning about endurance and commitment through the St. Mark's Cross Country team. Thanks Coach Stephens for all your dedication to our children!
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