Meade girls staying busy running in fall sports
The last time a group of Meade County athletes wanted to play soccer and run cross country during the same fall season, it did not go well for the players or their coaches.
That’s why soccer coach David Craycroft and cross country coach Larry Garner were a little hesitant to give their blessings when juniors Addison Poole and Josey Corbin and sophomore Moxie Crutcher broached the idea during the summer.
“We had to mull it over a little bit and think about it,” Craycroft said. “We said we would try it and see and if August was a train wreck, then we would just have to shut it down in September.”
September is here and the girls still are participating in both sports. While there have been some nagging injuries, the three girls are confident they will be able to help both teams through the end of the year.
“We all have to listen to our bodies and do a lot icing and stretching,” Corbin said.
Crutcher can tell there some additional stress on her body from all of the physical activity.
“You have to know when to rest,” she said. “Injuries might pop up and you have to take care of yourself.”
The three girls have played soccer since their preschool days and then participated in track while in high school. They enjoyed that sport which was the reason they approached Garner, who also coaches track, about running for him in the fall.
“We did like less sprinting and more distance running in cross country,” Poole said. “We started doing longer distance and then did miles. We really liked that and so we asked Coach Garner.”
Garner thinks a desire to compete fueled their decision.
“They are athletes at heart,” he said. “They want to go out there and compete. They want to beat people and I think they realized that they had some talent there.”
The coaches get together prior to the start of each week and figure out what days the girls will devote to which sport.
“We look at it and I may need them this day for practice,” Craycroft said. “The following week we might have three games in a row and it’s like figuring out when they need to be with him to do a workout.”
Corbin admitted it has been more difficult than she expected.
“But it has been worth it,” she said. “In soccer, you do a lot of running but there is also some stop and go and changing directions. In cross country, you don’t get breaks and intervals and have to be strong throughout the race.”
Playing two sports in the same season has not adversely affected her school work.
“I try to get my school work done during school so I don’t have to worry about it after school,” she said.
Crutcher began the 2023 track season as a sprinter but became a distance runner toward the end of the season. She said that’s like going from soccer to cross country.
“Sprinting is trying to go really fast but going a longer distance I have to learn how to pace myself,” she said. “I still try to make myself go fast but also build my endurance.”
Poole noted the additional running from playing two sports is actually no different than what her typical year is like.
“I have to stay in shape all year because the track season is in the spring,” she said. “The we have soccer and cross country so soccer keeps me in shape. I also play indoor soccer.”
She and Corbin also play in a soccer travel team.
