In the fall season at Beth Tfiloh, there are many sports teams. Though soccer and volleyball seem to receive the most notice, cross country is a valuable sport as well. One thing that makes cross country unique is that almost as much as it is about physical abilities, it is about mentality. It is, in the words of Noam Brandriss, “99% psychology.” If you keep your head in the game, you can do so much more.

According to Louis Friedmann, a member of the team, one of the reasons our team is great is that it gives you “an environment where you can really be yourself… and joke around with everybody.” The team builds deep friendships. Tzipora Einbinder feels an “amazing sense of team unity.” Everyone on the cross country teams are valued friends, and though the sport is about your own times more than others, everyone always has your back.

Another thing that makes cross country unique is that you aren’t winning or losing, you are just doing your best. The race is not about beating the other team, it is about beating yourself, and continuing to get better and better over time. You set your own goals, whether 33 minutes or 21 minutes, or simply to run as hard as you can. If you feel satisfied, you have won. It is your decision whether you win or lose, not anybody else’s.

Cross country is an incredible, unique sport. Even if you “don’t have good ball handling skills,” as Noam says, you still can play a sport in the fall, a sport that is entirely what you make it. It can be about friendship, or getting sub-20, but either way, cross country is a sport that is run by the runner, that is about what you want to do.