“Our program is blessed with amazing kids who are not afraid to put in the extra hours (and miles) to accomplish their goals,” explained Frenship Cross Country Coach Amanda Kirkpatrick.
However, as we find so often in sports, success is found in the lessons learned outside of competition itself.
“We focus on building each other up a lot! I remind them frequently that if you're focusing on building up your teammates, you're not focusing on your own pain and exhaustion,” said Kirkpatrick.
As the Tigers prepared to race at Lubbock Christian University on September 12, in their first Cross Country meet of the season, it was this mindset that led to a unique partnership. A partnership that not only prepared athletes’ bodies, but paid tribute to one of the seminal moments in the history of the United States of America.
Kirkpatrick explained how it came about. “This was Coach Shortes’ idea. We usually work out separately, but we brought all the Frenship Track and Cross Country kids together for workout on Friday. She and I talked a little about our personal memories of that day in 2001. Then we really elaborated on how that day, and the days following, people of all backgrounds, races, etc. really came together as a united front. We focused especially on the firefighters and emergency response people and the fact that they were willing to risk their lives to save others. We talked about how everyone played a part, so when we split the students up on teams, they had to decide how they would 'share' the workload. Each team had to run up the home stands a combined 52 times to equal the 110 flights of stairs in the Twin Towers. It was awesome to see them collaborate and then encourage each other to do it!”
September 11, 2001 was a world-altering date, one that changed the course of history for the United States. But no Frenship student has any memory of that day or its immediate impacts. Coach Kirkpatrick, Coach Shortes, and educators across Frenship are ensuring that the importance of that day is not lost on the generation that came after.