Community Corner

Cross-Country Day 1: Getting Back Into It

The Swampscott High cross-country team got back on course today after summer break.

At Upper Jackson field Coach Jeffrey Bartlett eased the throng of boys and girls into what will become regular running routines.

The 5 pm practice started with a talk in which the coach introduced the team to the three Ws: work ethic, water and watches.

Work ethic to strengthen themselves and the team; water to replenish their bodies; and watches to time their runs and progress -- maybe even to get to practice on time.

The team jogged the quarter-mile track before warming up with lunges and other short stretching routines on the track.

Coach Bartlett is assisted by Joe Tenney and new coach Shauna Harrington.

Many of the team members have been running on their own during the summer, some of them 40 to 50 miles a week.

But now they will run as a group.

Coach Bartlett showed the team a map of the school's 2.6-mile course before joining them on a run over the rising and falling, grassy and gravelly course.

The motivation for any first-time runner is to seek improvement, small victories, the coach said in an interview.

And remember the three Ws.

The first meet is against Beverly.


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