New athletes and freshmen are usually perceived as not capable of doing what more experienced athletes have done for years. Leaders are prevalent in sports and shape the way a team functions and performs. The inexperience of new teammates brings out the leaders of the team and creates a positive environment for teammates to learn new strategies and improve on their skills. The new athletes are getting to know the program, their teammates, and their coaches. These leaders make their new teammates feel comfortable and welcome into the team.

“I’m new to the team and they want me to feel comfortable,” freshman cross country runner Logan Phillips said.

Athletes need their teammates to push them to their capacity. Once someone falls behind and slows down it is crucial for their teammates to step in and push them to points they may not be mentally or physically comfortable with doing. This shows them that they have teammates that care. Athletes that push their teammates are athletes care about their success and the success of the team.

“They also tell us how to push ourselves so that we can become a better team,”sophomore cross country runner Alex Barbarise said.

The coaches have a large impact on why or why not athletes enjoy a sport. The coaches are especially important to the new athletes because these coaches need to build relationships with their team and are always there to support them. A good coach could be very laid back or could be hard on their team in order to achieve what they know the team is capable of.

“Mr. Bailey seems really supportive and he’s really nice to the athletes and treats us really well,” Phillips said.

New athletes play sports because they love the game, want to get better, want to make new friends and want to get stronger. Some cross country runners simply love to run and push themselves towards reaching their running goals, but cross country is also a great example of a sport that strengthens legs and conditions athletes bodies. This is key in many other sports and many of these athletes use it as a way to have an advantage over their opponents in sports like wrestling.

“For me since I am a wrestler, [running and cross country is] good for our conditioning,” Barbarise said.

The new athletes are crucial to a team’s success not only in the current season, but also in the following seasons if they choose to come back. The leaders on the team help the new athletes become comfortable, their teammates push them to success and the coaches build relationships and support them.