Maddie Prater and Evelyn Simpson
eSomethin staff
For many people, homecoming is one of the most exciting nights of the school year, especially freshman year. But for cross country runners, this year’s dance came with a big challenge: running from Saturday’s afternoon cross country meet to the Homecoming dance on the same day.
The meet was at Clay, about 30 minutes away from Perrysburg. It fell on September 27, the same day as the Homecoming dance.
Ninth grader Julia Vickers and her cross country teammates left at approximately 6:30 a.m and returned around 2 p.m.
The dance didn’t start until 8 p.m., but in between Vickers still had to shower, do her hair, makeup, go to dinner, and take pictures with her friends.
“I need probably 3-ish hours to get ready,” she said.
For a lot of students, HOCO is the talk of the town.
“Yea, Homecoming is pretty important to me,” VIckers said.
Many look forward to it months prior; people make plans to hang out with their friends, get ready, eat dinner, etc.
Vickers loves cross country. She says “my favorite part is the friends I’ve made.” With homecoming on the same day as her meet, she was struggling with her plans.
“It interferes because I can’t have a sleepover with my friends”, she said. “I can’t hang out with my friends before and it interferes with dinner times and pictures”.
Following up after the dance passed, Julia spoke about how the experience went for her.
“Everything worked out fine on time,” she said. She shared that she enjoyed the meet and hanging out with her friends afterwards. She stated that the situation held minimal stress over her, and that overall it was an amazing time.
Learning to balance a full schedule
Being a freshman is scary. Tons of homework, new people, balancing schedules, all while trying to find your place in a new world.
Student athletes face a lot of pressure to excel in their sport, adding to the weight of the high school experience. Coaches may know their struggles as an athlete, like in this case, a runner; they, however, might not see into the hardships outside of the sport.
Between teachers focused on students and coaches focused on athletes, kids can get overwhelmed and feel misunderstood.
Missing out on social events, the lack of breaks, and pressure to be better creates a breeding ground for stress and other mental struggles that often get ignored.
Voicing stories like Julia’s, big or small, can bring those problems out of the dark. It can, hopefully, lead to a more understanding and easier world to live in.
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