With many successful seasons in recent years, the Ithaca Cross Country team hopes to build upon its legacy in the upcoming fall season. Ingrid Comella ‘19 is a committed student athlete, and a member of both the cross country team and the track team. I recently met with Ingrid to discuss the upcoming cross country season and the team’s prospects.
Asha Duhan ‘19: Why did you choose to run cross country?
Ingrid Comella ‘19: My parents are both avid runners, so growing up, I saw them wake up early to go on training runs and eventually, after all of those training runs, complete marathons. My dad and I would go on runs when I was in elementary school and he would pretend like we were on a radio show to distract me from feeling tired. I think my love for running really began then. In 7th grade, when I saw that there was a modified cross country team, it was a no brainer for me to be a part of the team.
AD: What are your goals for this season, individually and as a team?
IC: Individually, I’d love to improve not only my personal record, but my running form as well. As a team, this year it would be amazing to make it to Federations, or Feds as we call it. Feds is similar to States because it highlights the best teams in New York, but it is even more selective. Last year, we were selected to race at Feds, and I know we are very motivated to make it back again. Even though we have a really young team this year, I have high hopes for our season together.
AD: How do you manage your time between sports and academics? Do you have any tips for keeping up with sports and school?
IC: My cross country coach says that we are student-athletes, not athlete-students. He likes to remind us that school always comes first, because if we do poorly in school, we cannot participate in cross country. Last year, I realized that it is okay to be late to a few practices if it means I can meet with teachers for extra help to reach my academic goals. I also love to take advantage of the bus rides to meets by doing homework so I don’t have to do as much work when I get home late after meets.
AD: Given that running is a largely individual and lonely sport, how does the cross country team stay close and united as a team?
IC: I know it sounds cheesy, but this team really feels like a second family to me, and to many other kids. Since our season is so long (from June to November), we spend copious amounts of time together. Most of that time is during our summer training runs and after-school practices in which we meet six days a week for about an hour and a half. During these practices, we endure so much pain together, through hot temperatures, challenging hills, and long runs. The night before races, we have team dinners, where everyone brings a dish to pass and we eat and play games at a teammate’s house. These team dinners help us collectively to prepare mentally and physically for the meet the next day. The culture surrounding Ithaca Cross Country has grown over the years and consists of many traditions which unify us as a team.
AD: What is the recruitment process like for cross country?
IC: For cross country, during junior year, colleges usually send recruitment letters, which explain how you could add value to their team. Since I’m not getting recruited at a Division I level, I also reached out to schools I was interested in by filling out a recruitment form on their websites. I’ve been in touch with a few coaches so far about doing official visits of their schools, where you spend 24 hours with a member of their team. I’m very excited to keep in touch with coaches throughout this cross country season and during the college application season.