The Wildcats have several power-house sports, and girls cross country is no exception. Four student-runners, Senior Madison Rempalski, Sophomore Cassidy Sanders, Sophomore Katherine Cook, and Senior Isabel Toole, currently hold four of the top 20 fastest times for the team in Northview’s history. They know why they’re so skilled.
“It’s hard work and practice, knowing what’s best for my body and just trying to become the best version of myself,” Cook said.
Rempalski, Sanders, Cook, and Toole have all accomplished so much in the past years, and now they’re training to surpass their past performances yet again. Even if they’ve already given their best, they’re still trying to improve themselves every day.
“My body has changed over time, and my peak year was my freshman year,” Toole said. “I just realized that I shouldn’t be stressing too much about my time, [and should focus on having fun,] because I already hit my goal of being in the top 20.”
Although the girls come from different backgrounds in running, they all share the same passion.
“I feel like some people just think our sport is just to get in shape and work out, but [if we did,] we couldn’t run as great distances as we do. We [run] because like we love it, it brings us joy,” Cook said.
With the girl’s busy schedule, maintaining social lives can come as a challenge, the time spent practicing every day can make finding time for friends difficult.
“I lost a lot of friends that don’t have the same aspirations and goals as I do. Running, that’s my life. I’d rather lose friends than lose myself,” Cook said. “School and education come first.”
Challenging as it is, these girls have shifted their thinking from negative to positive.
“I didn’t lose many friends because they’re all in sports too, and [we’re] practicing at the same time. It was more like I gained friends through cross country and I got closer with [my teammates]. I think it’s really beneficial because you’re surrounding yourself with people who support you,” Toole said.
Most of these girls have been running together since middle school.
Photo credit to Madison Rempalski.
Seniors Rempalski and Toole especially know that although cross country looks like an easier sport, it has hidden depths.
“I think people don’t realize how hard cross country is both physically and mentally,” Toole said. “[But] it’s cool that people are now starting to get into [cross country] since we’re posting more about it or we’re winning.”
The sentiment is shared by the team, with Rempalski adding her thoughts.
“[Most people] think of it as like, ‘Oh, you’re just running for your time,’ but they don’t understand when we all finish better the whole team does better. And even though we might not be besties in school, [we’re still] friends with each other and talk and laugh all through practice,” Rempalski said.
With their achievements and passion driving them, the future is wide open, and the possibilities are endless.
“I’m not sure yet if I want to run in college, I still want to look at my options and go see the world, whether it’s running in a different country, but right now I just want to live my life,” Cook said.
