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SCHOLAR ATHLETE PERSPECTIVE: On the road with Saints cross country
By David Beall
NGCSU Cross country runner, and Nugget staff writer, David Beall, contributes a journal this week from last weekend's trip to Augusta for the Peach Belt pre-conference meet.
Sometimes people mistake college athletes for being spoiled, not having to work hard in class, and getting all the free stuff.
It may seem like that from the outside looking in, but those people do not see the two-a-day practices and late night road trips accompanied with practice before 8 a.m. class the next morning.
Preparing to compete at the NCAA level is a year round effort, and something every North Georgia athlete takes seriously.
For the North Georgia Cross-Country team, two-a-day practices have been the norm since school started over a month ago, and getting up at 6:30 a.m. for practice every morning and getting home after 7:00 p.m. at night is an everyday occurrence.
This past weekend we competed at the Peach Belt Conference Pre-Conference race hosted by Augusta State University.
NGCSU students might just see a charter bus pulling out of the school on Friday afternoon, but the work and preparation that goes into the week leading up to a race cannot begin to be illustrated on paper.
It's not everyday I get to leave class early, but Friday our charter bus was waiting outside, so with twenty minutes remaining in my International Business class I quietly closed my notebook and headed for the door.
After a quick bite to eat on the bus, the team felt the affects of a hard workout the day before and took advantage of the chance to sleep.
When I woke up, we were about a half hour outside of Augusta, and teammates were taking turns changing in the bathroom getting ready to take a jog around the course we would run the next morning.
We rolled into Blanchard Woods Park about 3:30 p.m. to find the finishing touches being put on the course and several conference opponents already warming up.
A quick preview of the course resulted in a 30-minute light run to keep our legs loose, and after a quick stretch we got right back on the bus and headed for the hotel.
After a much-needed dinner, we got back to the hotel about 7:30 p.m. and some athletes prepared for the race, while others studied or watched television.
After the women's team had a meeting in head coach Amanda Harris' hotel room, the guys team followed and strategized how they would race against many of the conference teams.
After coach passed out the race numbers, we sat around her room prepared for the challenge placed in front of us for the next morning.
We had already learned in practice the previous week that preparing for our first 10k of the season is significantly more work, and now planning for the longer race took more strategy as well.
We were all focusing on a conservative first mile to make up for the extra almost mile and a half we would face the next morning.
After the meeting, I took an ice bath for about 15 minutes to keep my legs fresh and then got some sleep.
The 5:30 a.m. alarm came much too early on Saturday as me and my roommates Tommy Stapleton and Josh Kerzie took turns showering and heading down to get breakfast.
After loading on the bus about an hour later, we headed off to the race location to find fog blanketing the course.
The women's team raced first and finished their 6k course in 7th place overall.
The men's team followed with their 10k run, finishing in 6th place and seeing first hand what to expect at the Conference Championships next month.
Both teams cleaned up and changed during award presentations, and we hit the road back to Dahlonega about 11 a.m.
We stopped to eat just outside Augusta, then once again we took advantage of the chance to sleep on the way home.
I think I speak for everyone when I say we were exhausted from the tough course and longer than usual race.
We rolled back onto campus just before 4 p.m., and several of us headed over to support the soccer team during their first conference battle of the season.
So, after a morning race and a long trip back, a day off would have been nice right?
Absolutely, but we have our eyes set on making a mark at Auburn University this Saturday, so Sunday the women did a seven-mile run and the men went ten miles.
With two-a-days starting again Monday morning I guess I better get ready for my four test this week.
At North Georgia, the administration makes sure we understand the importance of the term “student athlete” and that our academics always come first.
Competing at the NCAA level is demanding and tiring, but we wouldn't have it any other way.
True competitors welcome the long practices and endless workouts, because we know that it will all be worth it.
Sometimes people mistake college athletes for being spoiled, not having to work hard in class, and getting all the free stuff.
It may seem like that from the outside looking in, but those people do not see the two-a-day practices and late night road trips accompanied with practice before 8 a.m. class the next morning.
Preparing to compete at the NCAA level is a year round effort, and something every North Georgia athlete takes seriously.
For the North Georgia Cross-Country team, two-a-day practices have been the norm since school started over a month ago, and getting up at 6:30 a.m. for practice every morning and getting home after 7:00 p.m. at night is an everyday occurrence.
This past weekend we competed at the Peach Belt Conference Pre-Conference race hosted by Augusta State University.
NGCSU students might just see a charter bus pulling out of the school on Friday afternoon, but the work and preparation that goes into the week leading up to a race cannot begin to be illustrated on paper.
It's not everyday I get to leave class early, but Friday our charter bus was waiting outside, so with twenty minutes remaining in my International Business class I quietly closed my notebook and headed for the door.
After a quick bite to eat on the bus, the team felt the affects of a hard workout the day before and took advantage of the chance to sleep.
When I woke up, we were about a half hour outside of Augusta, and teammates were taking turns changing in the bathroom getting ready to take a jog around the course we would run the next morning.
We rolled into Blanchard Woods Park about 3:30 p.m. to find the finishing touches being put on the course and several conference opponents already warming up.
A quick preview of the course resulted in a 30-minute light run to keep our legs loose, and after a quick stretch we got right back on the bus and headed for the hotel.
After a much-needed dinner, we got back to the hotel about 7:30 p.m. and some athletes prepared for the race, while others studied or watched television.
After the women's team had a meeting in head coach Amanda Harris' hotel room, the guys team followed and strategized how they would race against many of the conference teams.
After coach passed out the race numbers, we sat around her room prepared for the challenge placed in front of us for the next morning.
We had already learned in practice the previous week that preparing for our first 10k of the season is significantly more work, and now planning for the longer race took more strategy as well.
We were all focusing on a conservative first mile to make up for the extra almost mile and a half we would face the next morning.
After the meeting, I took an ice bath for about 15 minutes to keep my legs fresh and then got some sleep.
The 5:30 a.m. alarm came much too early on Saturday as me and my roommates Tommy Stapleton and Josh Kerzie took turns showering and heading down to get breakfast.
After loading on the bus about an hour later, we headed off to the race location to find fog blanketing the course.
The women's team raced first and finished their 6k course in 7th place overall.
The men's team followed with their 10k run, finishing in 6th place and seeing first hand what to expect at the Conference Championships next month.
Both teams cleaned up and changed during award presentations, and we hit the road back to Dahlonega about 11 a.m.
We stopped to eat just outside Augusta, then once again we took advantage of the chance to sleep on the way home.
I think I speak for everyone when I say we were exhausted from the tough course and longer than usual race.
We rolled back onto campus just before 4 p.m., and several of us headed over to support the soccer team during their first conference battle of the season.
So, after a morning race and a long trip back, a day off would have been nice right?
Absolutely, but we have our eyes set on making a mark at Auburn University this Saturday, so Sunday the women did a seven-mile run and the men went ten miles.
With two-a-days starting again Monday morning I guess I better get ready for my four test this week.
At North Georgia, the administration makes sure we understand the importance of the term “student athlete” and that our academics always come first.
Competing at the NCAA level is demanding and tiring, but we wouldn't have it any other way.
True competitors welcome the long practices and endless workouts, because we know that it will all be worth it.
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| LUMPKIN SOFTBALL: Lady Indians control own destiny for region seeding | LUMPKIN FOOTBALL: Indians take Friday off, hope to recuperate |
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For example, if Mr. Fill-in-the-Blank says something you don't agree with, don't tell the world that Mr. Fill-in-the-Blank is a no good dirty scoundrel who cuts off people in traffic and has owed you $20 since 1997. The Nugget asks you to please just stick to the issues at hand. That way we'll keep the debate lively, without getting personal. And remember, above all else, keep it civil and directed at the topic that's being discussed. We encourage your feedback and dialog, all comments will be reviewed by our Web staff before appearing on the Web site.
