Mineola High School cross country teams plan to build on last year’s successful campaign

Posted 8/26/21

Mineola cross country coach Shelby Turner had a look of admiration on his face when asked about his 2021 cross country squad. “Dedicated,” he said, “very dedicated.”

He …

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Mineola High School cross country teams plan to build on last year’s successful campaign

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Mineola cross country coach Shelby Turner had a look of admiration on his face when asked about his 2021 cross country squad. “Dedicated,” he said, “very dedicated.”

He explained that a number of his returning charges have logged over 150 miles of road time this past summer, of their own accord. “That is the type of committed young people we have the honor to coach,” he stated.

The cross country campaign is gearing up for a great season. The girls team is expecting to be back at state, after they were denied due the reduced number of teams accepted during last year’s pandemic-plagued season. 

Meanwhile, the boys cross country team is coming off the school’s very first trip to the regional meet last year. Both squads are looking to build on the program’s success in 2021.

Turner uses two qualities of the sport to spur the interest of young athletes: mental toughness and longevity. 

“Cross country is one of the most mentally-challenging sports available,” he stated. “It trains young athletes to push themselves through physical boundaries, and pain, drawing on their own strength.”

For multi-sport athletes – of which he has several on the squad – it improves their performance markedly, regardless of the sport.

It can also nurture in the athletes a life-long love of running.

“There are only a couple of scholastic sports which can become a life-long habit of health and well-being,” Turner stated. Running is at the top of the list. 

For the young runners in Turner’s program, the season begins with a two-mile maximum velocity timed run. That run sets their initial goals for the season. A regimen of early morning runs and tempo training sees those times get trimmed week by week. 

Turner stresses a holistic approach to training. “It all matters,” he stated, “diet, adequate rest, physical training, endurance and camaraderie.” 

With high expectations for the varsity teams and a thriving junior high cross country program, the future is bright for Mineola cross country.

“People naturally want to be associated with success,” Turner remarked, “and it is truly exciting to be building that tradition in the sport of cross country at Mineola.”