From 5 a.m. runs to after-school workouts, the Homewood High Cross Country program has been working hard to build a successful team this season. Twenty-one personal best times run by the athletes at the Black and Gold Classic meet in Scottsboro on Sept. 30 show that dedication is paying off.
Head coach Kelly McNair says these results are an excellent indicator of the team’s progress and that she expects to see even more improvement as the season advances.
“That’s kind of the history of our program,” McNair said. “We tend to progress throughout the season, and we are on track to do that. As a first-year head coach, that’s great for me to see. I’m very very pleased with where we are and that meet was a stamp of affirmation.”
McNair has stepped up to fill the head coach position after the loss of multiple coaches from the previous season. She’s also working hard with the athletes to maintain all aspects of the boys’ and girls’ teams after the graduation of many seniors who ran for the team last year.
“We lost a lot of seniors, and we lost a lot of coaches,” McNair said. “We’ve had a season of change. I think because of that they’ve all come together and rallied for the support of the program.”
McNair says that there’s a level of buy-in for athletes, and she sees the commitment within her runners. She says they are trusting the process and maintaining their grit which shows at practice and meets.
Due to this change and dedication, many athletes have stepped up and taken leadership roles. One of these leaders is the top runner for the girls’ team, junior Emma Brooke Levering.
“I just try to lead by example,” Levering said. “My hope is that if I do the right thing, I can lead my teammates to also do the right thing and put in all of their effort. I personally think the most effective way to lead people is by showing them what’s right and cheering on their successes.”
Levering frequently reaches the podium at cross country meets, using her talent and upperclassman position to lead her young teammates. She says the team’s support and success is possible through McNair.
“After Coach Kelly was put in as head coach for cross country,” Levering said, “we all kinda realized that we were in a new era of the Homewood distance program, and we’ve all embraced it. The girl’s team has definitely gotten closer both with each other and with the guy’s team, and I think that’s a result of Coach Kelly. She really works with mixing the girl’s and boy’s teams with workouts, and overall she just has trust with us.”
Both McNair and Levering anticipate that both the boys’ and girls’ teams will only improve for the remainder of the season. The next cross country meet is this upcoming Oct. 14.
