These Tigers work hard all season to be ready for CIF. Photo courtesy of SLOHS 2024-2025 Yearbook class.
The trimester is ending at San Luis Obispo High School, Tigers, which means fall athletics are wrapping up and winter sports are beginning to ramp up. Cross Country has had a fantastic season this year, and while they are finished with most of their meets, they are still training hard for their league meet this weekend and their CIF race at the end of the month.
The CIF meet is a defining race for the team and for many it’s the most important race of the season. Last year, Girls Cross Country was unable to go to State CIF, while Boys Cross Country placed thirteenth in state. Both teams are looking to place highly at CIF and improve last year’s results.
Before these athletes go off to CIF, Expressions wanted to interview them about their experiences throughout the season and find out how they’re preparing for their last meets.
Expressions: How has the season gone for you?
Senior Rebekah Waterbury: It’s gone pretty well, I’ve PR-ed for most of the courses we’ve raced this season.
Junior Aidan Field: So far, this season has been great. It’s been really fun, there’s been ups and downs, but I think in the end it’s been a great time. I medalled twice in some JV races and had some good PRs.
Junior Ethan Feeser: I had an Achilles injury, so I wasn’t able to run very well for half the season, but I’m slowly coming back.
Sophomore Kasey Abercromby: For me, I haven’t been super happy with my season, but the team has been really supportive, and my season is starting to go better. I’m working on making sure I eat the right things for my body and taking care of myself so I can go faster.
Expressions: What was your favorite meet this season?
Waterbury: Ojai, because it was an overnight race where we slept under the stars.
Field: My favorite race was the Clovis Twilight Invitational; it was really cool racing at night and with a really cool sunset. It was really more like a party than a cross country race. I ran probably my best race of the season, it was a 10:52 two mile. The bus ride was really fun and overall a really cool experience.
Feeser: Clovis Invitational because it was just a big meet and we got to spend the night so it was a fun race.
Abercromby: Either Clovis Twilight or Ojai. Ojai is an overnight meet where we camp and just hang out as a team, which is really cool. Clovis Twilight was [two weekends ago] and we take the whole team on a bus down to Clovis and we race at night. We just do a two mile course, and it’s fun. We get to use glow sticks and glow in the dark paint during the race.
Expressions: Why do you enjoy cross country?
Waterbury: Running with the team [is the best part] because it’s more fun to run with other people and with the team, than by yourself.
Field: Cross Country is really cool because you really get out what you put in. It’s one of the only sports where it’s almost unbiased, your results are your results and you ran them, you can’t deny your time. You can make excuses, but everybody has excuses and things that they go through. In the end, the effort that you put into the sport is what you’re going to get out. In Cross Country, you’re also doing stuff that’s really hard and borderline crazy to most other people, like running twelve miles right before first-period. Cross country is also cool because it’s very fun like there’s this the only sport where you can go off campus and just have a great time and do cool things. It’s so nice to be at a waterfall or the top of a mountain while everyone else is in fifth-period.
Feeser: I just like hanging out with my friends and enjoying nature.
Abercromby: My mom did cross country so she got me into it and it’s super fun. The whole community is just super supportive, and it’s so much fun to just go out and run with my friends. I get to talk to them and we hang out while pushing ourselves, which I really enjoy.
Expressions: Who was your greatest source of support throughout the season?
Waterbury: Mainly all of our coaches over the years. My parents were also huge cheerleaders for me.
Field: This season, my teammates and my coaches were huge sources of support. My teammates were so encouraging and they got me to really love this sport. Coach Steinmaus is also amazing, her attentiveness and care really showed. The effort and experience she put into our training plan was extraordinary, I think she’s a significant reason why our team dominates races.
Feeser: Probably my teammates and coaches, and all the people that come [to my races] for me like my parents.
Abercromby: My teammates and everyone have just been so supportive of me and [have tried] to make sure I push myself to be the best I can.
Expressions: How will you prepare for the CIF meet later this month?
Waterbury: [I’m going to] just stick to the plan. Run the easy days easy, and then do my best in the workouts and the race.
Field: Sadly, I don’t think I’m fast enough for CIF. I might be an alternate, or something, but I’m going to support my teammates and also start thinking about training for track.
Feeser: I’m gonna get a lot of hard training these next few weeks, and then we’re gonna taper the runs which is where we do less miles a week, which helps us get ready so we have more energy on race day.
Abercromby: We train on the assumption that we will be racing for more meets, and our coaches have a training plan set so that we will peak and have our fastest races at those meets. Our coaches have a very specific training plan that’s [unique to] us in order to make sure that we will have the best race. [We’re also] making sure we have a good team because it’s important to be able to race with the people that you [can communicate with].
Expressions wishes the Cross Country teams the best of luck in their future competitions, these Tigers are sure to finish the season strongly!
