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Making varsity is joining a select group that trains together, shares tough workouts and takes the line like a family in big meets to carry the banner for our school.
Since the varsity unit has only ten runners that can compete at the Section and State meet, the path from junior high—the bane of many a young athlete—to cross country’s version of the Navy Seals must be understood to be mastered. And of course it is understood that “everybody who is successful trains hard." Therefore, what can help those driven varsity aspirants rise to the top?
Junior High Lesson #1: Run Consistent Mileage
“Consistency,” says 2012 Foot Locker national finalist Quintin McKinnish of Tennessee's Morristown West came out for cross country as a freshman, he joined a squad that was defending state 3A champion. “Every team member preached consistency.”
McKinnish heeded the advice of his older and more experienced teammates and with his talent made varsity as a freshman. He noticed a pattern. “The guys who trained five days a week and not on weekends, they were not in the game after a year or so. They might improve as freshmen, but after that five days a week was not going to cut it.”
Junior High Lesson #2: Say Yes to ‘Peripherals,’ No to Shortcuts
McKinnish learned that he had to run virtually every day to keep up. Eventually, he became the team’s top runner. Currently, he takes a day off no more than once a month. McKinnish says that while West coach Ray Farmer emphasizes consistency, he also tells the boys that to contend for a varsity spot they need to do the “peripherals,” like strengthening exercises, core work, and eating with good nutrition in mind.
You want to make varsity? No shortcuts!
Junior High Lesson #3: Find Teammate Role Models
On one level, following a varsity formula is clear cut. Gould, who coached superstar twins Joe and Jim Rosa (both went on to run at Stanford), suggests, “Find an upperclassman who’s good and do what he does.” Nine times out of 10, says Gould, if an athlete has any talent, he’ll see progress quickly. Others need to be patient and give it more time.
Gould says that the Rosas themselves had an excellent teammate role model in Tyler Corkedale, who was two years older. Corkedale ran a pedestrian 5:25 1600m as a freshman. He trained hard and, says Gould, “When his body caught up to his heart, everything came together.” Corkedale started excelling as a junior, when the Rosas were freshmen. “If you ask Jim and Joe,” says Gould, “it was how Tyler carried himself that taught them how to train hard.”
Not only did the Rosas capture the national limelight, but Corkedale himself improved to the point of getting an athletic scholarship to Penn State, where he ran a 3:45 1500m, equivalent to a 4:03 mile.
From their early strides, the Rosas never considered themselves “Junior High” runners. Their first sport was swimming, and they entered high school with some fitness; but more than that, their attitude was, “We’re good. We’re varsity.”
Junior High Lesson #4: Ditch the Junior High Mindset
Don’t let yourself get mired in a Junior High mindset. Always reach higher in workouts, even if your coach enters you in Junior High races. It’s not the label that matters but your attitude and effort. Think of Junior High as varsity understudy: You’re always ready to move up to the big leagues if the team needs you. Suppose a varsity runner is sick or injured or just needs a day off. If you’ve been shining in training, you may the one chosen by the coach to take a varsity slot.
Junior High Lesson #5: Be a Responsible Athlete
Ask your coach about varsity opportunities that come up, and make the coach aware of your interest. Being chosen for varsity is not only based on fitness level and previous performances but also on maturity and how you handle yourself as a responsible athlete. Are you the type of runner who can follow the coach’s instructions on strategy and teamwork in varsity competition? You won’t be in the porta-potty when the race is called to the line, will you?
Just as you should try and free yourself from a Junior High mindset, you should realize that varsity spots are not permanent like Supreme Court judgeships. There are always weaknesses in a ten-runner varsity lineup; runners move up, and down, as meets come and go.
It happened that way with two recent Academy stars, Jefferson Rieder and Alex Herring, both now running in college. They were mid-to-low Junior High runners but hard workers whose commitment never wavered. One day before a meet, Kedge pulled them aside and, like a stage director at a Broadway show, told them, “You’re on!”
The two understudies ended up outrunning the varsity boys they subbed for and went on to spark state championship teams and national qualifiers. And like New Jersey’s Corkedale, Reider now is on the verge of a sub-4:00 mile with a 3:45 1500m at the University of New Mexico.
Junior High Lesson #6: Know Your Team’s Moving-Up System
Be aware of the varsity entry points on our team. There is a ladder of success.
It starts with performance in practice. Do you demonstrate in practice each day that you can handle training at the varsity level? Are you coachable and do you execute a very high percentage of your workouts correctly?
Then, on race day are you a top performer on the Junior High team?
I look at the overall picture because success in running is long term. One good day of training, 'I am proud of you,' but I want to see the next day and the next. One good race, 'I am proud of you,' but I want to see you execute well each week.
And ultimately, when a junior high athlete demonstrates that they are mature enough to handle the consistency of training and performing at a level that will allow them to move into joining the varsity team then I have no hesitation of bringing them up at the "right" time.
The timing depends, but one thing is for sure, I am always looking for junior high runners that are ready to move up each season after their Junior High Championship at the Oktoberfest XC Invitational at St. Bernard.
An even better time to move up is with a great summer, which leads me to lesson seven.
Junior High Lesson #7: Use a Big Summer for Big Breakthroughs
Without a star system, Hanover produced plenty of stars by respecting the Junior High talent. One was Aaron Watanabe, who started out as ninth man on the Junior High team as a freshman. He moved up to No. 3 on the JH team as a sophomore. Following Eakin’s dictates, Watanabe put in a big summer leading into his 2009 junior season. And he made one of the most startling breakthroughs you’ll ever see—from No. 3 JH runner to state titlist. Then, as a senior, Watanabe ran an 8:59 3200m. He went on to Harvard. Wow!
Almost every team has some version of Watanabe’s rags-to-riches story. Last fall, at the NXN championship in Portland, Ore., national power St. Xavier boys of Cincinnati, which placed ninth, was led by senior Alex Kuvin. Kuvin had made steady progress from the JH ranks since sophomore year when, in the words of Bombers’ coach Mike Dehring, “He couldn’t break 11 minutes for 2 miles.”
Kuvin could have been a poster boy for Junior High runners everywhere. He was young, inexperienced and felt somewhat left out. But he came to embrace a simple but powerful idea. “Alex finally realized, ‘If I actually do the work over the summer, maybe I can be pretty good,’” Dehring says.
By last fall, Kuvin had worked his way to No. 4 man on the Ohio State Division I championship team, running 15:55 for 5K, and then to No. 2 man for St. Xavier in the NXN Midwest Regional. Last spring he ran a 9:17 3200m and will run in college at the University of Dayton.
Junior High Lesson #8: Don’t Be Shy, Learn All You Can
Newer, developing runners can turn the tables on that idea. Junior High youngsters should get to know at least one varsity teammate. Even if he or she seems aloof, approach the older runner, say hello, make a friend. Before long, you’ll be picking up tips while gaining confidence and maturity.
This is what transpired at University High in Morgantown, W.V., but not how you might think. As a freshman, Millie Paladino got to know an older teammate in her junior year and they became good friends. In a role reversal, it was Paladino who became a top performer and helped the junior. The older girl felt stuck in Junior High and questioned her running future. “She thought that she would be on the Junior High team for the rest of her life,” Paladino says.
Junior High Lesson #9: Lean on Running Buddies For Support
While only a freshman, Paladino had the maturity to counsel her friend. They would talk about goals on training runs. They would reinforce the need for hard work. Paladino told her friend to relax and be patient.
“It’s hard to put in summer mileage,” says Paladino, who went on to become a state champion and 2012 Foot Locker finalist, “if you don’t believe, ‘OK, this is worth it because eventually I’ll reach the point where I want to be.’”
Junior High Lesson #10: Improvements Are Within All Runners’ Reach
The next fall, as a senior, Paladino’s friend made varsity, contributing to University’s second-place performance in the state 3A championship. And, in Paladino’s words, the girl “developed a love of running and is now on a college team.”
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