OC-ya

I came to DeSmet knowing I was going to be a runner. I had run in several road races before joining the Cross Country team and knew it would be the right sport for me. Little did I know it would be the best thing that happened to me while at DeSmet. I looked forward to every practice from tempos to long runs and, yes, even speed workouts. Although I do love running, my teammates and coaches are what made this such an amazing experience.

Just like Zach, I would like to thank certain people…

First: Coach Traughber. I’m sure everyone has heard this countless times, but Coach truly has had a huge impact on my life. He helped me improve as runner, and more importantly as a person. Because of him, I gained confidence and learned anything is possible with hard work and determination. He taught me to set goals which I have also found to be helpful. Coach is also a lot of fun to be around. I love the sarcastic comebacks (especially when directed at Matt) and crazy exaggerations (diet-red-green-fiesta-spirit Mountain Dew). I would like to thank Coach Traughber for everything. Thanks, and continue the great work!

Second: Ethan Stack. My first memory of Ethan was when he beat me in our first race as freshmen. Since then, we have been doing just about everything together while on the team. We have trained together, raced together, worked out together, and even iced together. Ethan was extremely helpful after my surgery because his optimism and support, telling me that I would be back to my usual self soon. Thanks for everything Stackman and good luck a SLU.

Third: Kevin Abernathy. Kevin, as all of you know, is just a great all around person. He is a great runner, teammate and friend. He takes everything he does seriously and does it with all his heart. I notice this after every single race and even things like waffle ball with 5th graders or Wii bowling. Kevin is a amazing runner and an even better person. Thanks for everything Kabes.

Forth: Zach Boyle. Zach is as serious about running as anyone but he is also a lot of fun to be around. He came to practice every day with a smile on his face while wearing some extremely short shorts. I would like to thank Zach for co-creating the blog; it’s a lot of fun. Thanks for all the great memories Zach.

I would also like to send out special thanks to other runners that have also influenced my life: Jacob Seiler, Alex Potter, Blake Bender, and I guess, Matt. Ya’ll have made running a lot of fun and created memories that will last the rest of my life. Also thanks to all of my coaches, Coach Russo, Coach Williams, Coach Boland and Coach Leeman.

Stay classy

OC