Greenbrier East High School has launched their 2017 cross-country season, and the team is prepared to run off the pavement and hit the dirt trails to get in shape for the upcoming competitions this year.

Although the students began their 2017 fall season with a lukewarm start, they intend to improve their performance as time goes on. Jerry Long, the cross-country coach for the Spartan team, explained some of the drills he uses to get the athletes conditioned.

“We have to get those arms and legs moving so you can run well,” Long said. “Remember that once you run one part of the course, you have to stay conditioned to finish the rest until you reach the end of the trail.”

The Greenbrier East Cross Country team will compete against a wide variety of schools, which will be mostly double AA or triple AAA, which refers to the medium to largest populated schools in the area. There will be races held throughout September and October to prepare for the two final races of the season, which are the regional and state competitions.

Cami Wagner, one of the student runners, said she is running to condition herself for the races now, and feels optimistic that both she and the Spartan cross-country team should improve on their performance to run well for the upcoming events.

“A lot of the time when I’m running, I tell myself not to quit when I feel like I have finished running,” Wagner said. “Something that stands out to me at East is that we are all really a family, and it’s not like there are certain cliques. Everybody pushes each other like we are a team.”

No exact date has been scheduled for the first Spartan cross-country race, however, it is likely that they will head to an away meet in early September.