ALL IT TAKES IS ALL YOU'VE GOT

Clear Creek Amana High School’s boys cross country team has had an amazing season with lots of opportunities for celebration. We had eight athletes make it to state this year, which includes Ali Seidl, Caden Burkle, Carson Meskimen, Jackson Vanhorn, Kyle Vogel, Mason Miller, Micah Johnson, and Nic Schieltz. Both Carson Meskimen and Mason Miller were kind enough to answer some questions about their seasons. 

CHARLES STEENHOEK GIVING HIS ALL IN THE MIDST OF AN INTENSE RACE; PHOTO BY SAM STRANK

Sophomore Carson Meskimen has had an incredibly impressive season, earning his first medal this year at state. He rolled up with a time of 16:03.5, earning himself 11th place. Considering not only the harsh winds and mid forty degree weather at Fort Dodge, Meskimen managed to drop 52.1 seconds off his time from last year, where he had placed 37th. Meskimen has been a member of cross country since 8th grade, but says he didn’t start taking it seriously until his freshman year. 

In preparation for meets, Meskimen says, “The week leading up to the meet I try to eat food such as pasta, spaghetti, steak, chicken, beef and rice to help load up on protein and carbs.” Carb loading is pretty common for runners, as it helps to stop early fatigue. Once the meet day gets closer, “I like to envision my race before it happens to mentally prepare myself for my race to help me stay calm and relaxed.” In addition to this, “The day of the race, we do mental training, dynamic stretching, a jogging warm up, and I eat a banana and apple sauce packet to get some quick energy for the race.” To help keep himself motivated, Meskimen is constantly telling himself to get to the next person. Taking it step by step, person by person, keeps him positive and with a sharp mind.

In terms of the season overall, Meskimen says he thinks it went great. The team worked hard and it showed, as running times and morale improved over the season. State was an incredible accomplishment for not only Meskimen, but for the whole team. “The most exciting part about making it to state is getting to run not only with my team, but also with the best runners in the state.” With that being said, “Going out and running your best time and getting to compete with those guys is an experience I’ll never forget.” 

Meskimen hopes to continue running after high school as he has a real passion for the sport. “Running definitely is something that I would like to pursue in my future. I would for sure love to go run somewhere in college if that’s what’s calling me.”

Junior Mason Miller has also had an incredible season with lots of moments to highlight. This is only Miller’s second year on the cross country team, but don’t think this has stopped him from excelling in the sport. Last year Miller was #1 for the junior varsity team with a pr time of 18:01, and this year he is #2 with a personal best of 17:05, right behind Meskimen. Miller’s mother ran cross country when she was in high school, and she was incredibly good. She made it to state all four years and Miller credits her for some of his skill. However, it would be an understatement to say he gets all of his skill from his parents. The cross country season is six months long for those who go to the off season, and on top of the lifting classes Mason participated in, his dedication and hard work is outstanding. 

Outside of training, Miller always prioritizes one of his routines; eating a good meal. “Every night before the race day, I eat steak and potatoes”. In addition to this, “I eat eggs and toast for breakfast, and a turkey sandwich and fruit for lunch.” Along with Miller’s good meals right before his races  “I eat some strawberries and a honey stinger which is an energy waffle.” He’ll then move into stretching, as well as creating a positive mindset to ensure that he is putting his maximum effort into those 17 minutes of running.

Miller ran a 17:31.5 at state, finishing 86th. He also shared what the most exciting part of going to state was. “It was pretty cool to run on a course that my mom also ran on.” What a full circle moment! Miller goes on to say, “The cross country team put in so much hard work” and “just felt very cool, and just shows our hard work and grit that we put in during our long season.” Miller plans to continue running outside of high school, although he’s still unsure if he will continue the same path in college. He feels he has the skill, grit, and determination to run in college, and he adequately showed that this season.

Laurel Keenan, the assistant coach for the cross country team also had some great input from this season. Keenan actually comes from a large family of runners, and has always had a passion for running, which explains why she also helps coach for the track and field team here at CCA. Keenan mentioned that seeing the progress and growth during the season is one of the most enjoyable parts of coaching. “I enjoy getting the opportunity to interact with students every day at practice and meets.” With that being said, “I love being able to see the progress that these athletes make each season and throughout their career.” In terms of motivation, Keenan does a great job of bringing positivity to the team, while the head coach, Ben Robison provides motivation through his history of success with athletes as well as his extensive knowledge of all things running. Throughout the season many fun memories were made, but Keenan’s favorite has been seeing the athletes working well as a team and showing encouragement to their teammates.

Lastly, for any student looking to become a part of this well accomplished team or just learn more about it, Keenan encourages you to contact herself, Coach Robison, or another runner that is already on the team.

Despite the long practices, tough competition, and endless work, there are lots of fun moments and memories to be had. One of those things being the interesting things athletes see while running. For Mason Miller, “The most interesting thing I've run past was probably either seeing some deer jump really close to me, or the fun trails at Kent Park and the sunrises in the mornings.” Some interesting things that other runners shared includes an insane asylum, a snapping turtle and a dead deer. Honorable mention to the person that said “ A man with really short shorts.”