Alta High School - Accipitor Yearbook (Sandy, UT)

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Followed closely by runners from oth- er schools. Connie Sweet and Chris Kel- ler display their determination to win. At the East invitational. Alta girls placed first. Placing top for the female runners of Alta, senior Connie Sweet finished fourth in state In the cold air before a match. Scott Ashby peels off his cross country sweats which are personalized by each runner s numbers. The sweats help to keep the runners from freezing in the dreary November months. Cross Country • 81

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No Pain - Coach talked me into it, replied Chris Keller, last year’s outstanding athlete. There are no try-outs; it just takes a lot of dedication. Chris runs be cause, Its fun, and there is a lot of team spirit. Chris also revealed. I feel more relaxed when I run. Coach Ray Jenson, cross country coach for his fourth year is very pleased with what the team has accomplished this year. The girls have placed first in the region three years in a row; and the boys placed third in the region. Coach Jen son said, Competition is tougher for the boys because the sport has been around a lot longer and the competition is much stronger; the competi tion keeps getting better, but the boys are making steady progress, and getting better.” Coach Jenson described members of the team as, self motivated, and students who know how to organize their time. He also said, the worst thing about coaching is seeing kids with a lot of talent waste it because they don’t have the right attitude. GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY Season Record: Won 6 Lost 0 Region: First Place State: Second Place Alta 28 29 Hilkrest Aha 18 45 Bingham Alta 15 50 Kearns Alta 15 50 West Jordan Alta 21 36 Brighton Alta 20 40 Taylorsville (low score wms) No Gain The most rewarding thing about coaching involves, see- ing the kids improve them selves. ’ Connie Sweet is one runner who really knows what she’s doing. After the state competi- tion cross country meet, a coach from Provo looking for the top seven runners in all the state of Utah asked her if she was interested in being on his team. When asked what it takes to be that good, she re- plied. “Seventy-five percent of it’s mental. Of course working out is tough, but like Coach Jenson says,- Mo pain, no gain. In order to be an out standing runner, one has to be addicted to pain. Imagine yourself in a meet. You’re at the starting line, the signal sounds out, and you’re gone. Some way down the road you find yourself in the lead, Lining up at the starting line, the enthu siastic cross country team anticipates the long, hard course ahead. On the average, it took the boys fourteen to fifteen minutes and the girls sixteen to twenty minutes to run the course above the school. In a match against Bingham some of Alta’s cross country runners like sen ior, Scott Ashby, sophomore. Tom Kir ton. junior Garth Luke, and senior An drew Platero, pushed to their limits. De spite their efforts the boys team was defeated, but the girls team attained a victory. For the past three years the girls cros country team has had great successes This year was to be no exception a proven by freshman. Kristen Aure sophomore Pam Hudson, seniors. Tam Garfield and Staci VanSkyhawk. 80 • Cross Country

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Running and you know you’re going to win. Mo one else is even close to you. How do you feel? Con- nie replied, I don’t know of anyone who wouldn’t be ex- cited. If you weren’t, there would have to be something wrong with you. However, one thought especially stands out in my mind, and that is that nobody can get in my way now.’’ So, if running is so great, what do you have to do to be on the team? “Well, you have to be willing to do the work, and make sure you’re passing all your classes. Believe me; it’s definitly worth it. At the East Invitational Alta s girls took off on a great start and kept the lead throughout the race. This was only one of the many victories which led the girls to State this year. 82 • Cross Country