The Fair Grove Cross Country team is ready to return and compete on September 2, 2017 in Strafford, Missouri. The team is returning several runners from last year, including Logan Holliman (11),  Ryan Odom (11), Stephen Scaletty (10), Jordan Van Nostrand (11), Alex Ince (10), Hayden Pierce (9), Ella Hymes (11), and Emma Hackett (11).

  The cross country team runs about 3.1 miles (5k) everyday at practice, and at meets. They run around Fair Grove during practice. Ella Hymes stated, “We go to Meadow Woods, past the Library, the Saddle Club route, to the neighborhood next to the school, to the dead end by the school, and towards Potters Ford.”  Hymes hopes to get a medal and beat her personal record.

 According to Coach Carroll the team has set many high goals for this year, “I look for them to be among top teams in each meet we participate in, and for Logan Holliman, Ryan Odom and Stephen Scaletty to be among the top individuals,” commented Carroll. In order to reach these goals, they have been running during the summer. Their first meet is on September 2, 2017 away at Stafford starting at eight in the morning.

  Throughout July, the team would wake up and run at 6:30 every morning. In June they all did their own workouts to prepare and stay in shape. Now they run after school to get used to the heat. As Coach Carroll says, “The team worked hard in the offseason to prepare. Got together three times a week in June, and many ran on their own through July.”

  Coach Carroll expects to see the team succeed this year, and They hope to make it all the way to the state meet which is away at Jefferson city. The meet will be on November 4th. According to Coach Carroll, “Overall, these runners put forth excellent effort in practice, have a great attitude and want to get better. I think those qualities will put them in a good position to place well in the district meet and possibly, for some, to qualify for state.”