Bozeman Hawk Track

In my heart, I love hearing Sean Payton speak to the football team at his alma mater and explain what Friday Night Lights means and how it’s bigger than just a game. But to me, I know football is not the only team who owns the fall. Every Saturday over the next 12 weeks, kids will wake up at 5 AM to catch a bus. When they arrive at a golf course, park, or a rival’s school they will find their teammates and warm up together, assessing how their legs feel while they try to control the butterflies of the unknown and the possibility of what if. They’ll line up on the starting line with their nerves wound tightly, waiting for the familiarity of running to take over when the starting pistol fires. The rush of sprinting off the line. Then settling in. The looking for your teammates’ jerseys in a sea of colors. They’ll find each other and they will run together. Connected. For a reason bigger than themselves. There is no hiding in cross country. You do the work, and it’ll show. You must walk the walk if you want to find success. You must live the lifestyle. Our sport is brutally honest about it. And that’s also what makes it beautiful. A sport where your 5th best runner can make all the difference. Everyone matters and every place matters. God, I love this sport. Here’s to all of the boys and girls of fall.