Phoenix Cross Country is an activity experience that means the most to me out of all CAS experiences. I faced many unique challenges in this sport in the school cross-country team. However, I tried to overcome them by doubling my effort towards fixing my issues during running, using the suggestions from the coach and other runners. The primary outcomes of this experience are increased physical endurance and health status and being friendlier and collaborative.
Some individual challenges include the difficulty of the race track and balancing my breaths. The race course of competition may contain a lot of hills or turns (like BMAC) and a lot of muddy puddles (like SEASAC). A runner is responsible for observing and detecting different challenges on the race track. I have accomplished this by thinking strategically during the SEASAC race as to which side of the race track is the best to run on. Moreover, I have to think about the performance of the respiration system. According to the race track and competitors, I am required to maintain or modify my breathing rhythm during running. These challenges have helped me to develop my physical health and endurance more.
Another outcome yielded from this sport's teamwork is more collaborative behavior. Discussing the teamwork of an individual sport like cross country may sound weird. Nonetheless, in an exhausting race, encouragement from team members is most needed. Apart from that, different effective running strategies my teammates utilize can also be communicated in the team.
Meanwhile, sometimes, reaching out to others for help and starting a conversation can be challenging for people like me. By interacting with others, I may also know what part of my personality can improve, such as sounding more friendly and confident. In conclusion, sports activities like cross country have allowed me to face physical and mental challenges, indirectly enabling me to discover, reflect, improve, and practice my social skills.