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The season opener for the Avon Pirate cross-country team will be Friday, August 30th when they run in the Beresford Cross-Country Invite. The team is coached by Alexis Jurrens who is in her fifth season of coaching cross-country. The team is on the smaller side when it comes to the number of runners, but do not let that fool you, what they lack in numbers the team makes up for in heart and skills. Lone upperclassman and senior team member is John Fathke. Sophomores are Jack Fathke and Rance Kuhlman. Parker Podzimek is the lone freshman on the team. Eighth grade team members are Zander Fathke, Mya LeBeau and Bentley Bochman. Tucker Tjeerdsma, Zane Rush, Devonne Sesler and Palmer Podzimek are the seventh-grade team members. Rounding out the team is lone sixth grader, Rex Baade. Highlights from the 2023 season include both John and Rance qualifying for the state cross-country meet and running very well at it. Coach Jurrens is really excited to see how not only John and Rance grow and progress this year, but the rest of the team as well. This year’s team goals are to send a big group of Pirate cross-country runners to the state meet in Rapid City. The biggest goals that Coach Jurrens has for her team are for each runner to improve throughout the season and to develop a fun, healthy habit that will hopefully stick with them far beyond their high school careers. Jurrens will look to lone upperclassman, John Fathke this season for leadership. John has been a leader for the team for the past couple of years. Since his sophomore year, he has been one of the few upperclassman runners on the team and has become a very valuable asset to the Pirates. He continues to be a great role model to the younger runners and sets a strong example in the way he pushes himself to get better each year. The Beresford Invite will be a tough meet as there are a mix of schools from Class AA, A and B. There are a lot of strong runners in the Pirates region, so each runner will have to bring intensity to each race. This is Coach Jurrens’ third year as the Pirates’ cross-country coach, coaching her biggest team yet. With having more runners, she is excited to work with them and see what they can all accomplish. Coach Jurrens is also excited that she has a handful of returning runners back this season. Her coaching philosophy is that being a part of a team is a commitment, but it takes a special person to be a cross-country runner. It is a sport where the individual runner is entirely responsible for his or her own success. It takes discipline and each person will get what he or she puts into it. Coach Jurrens admires each and every one of her runners because they are up before the sun each day to run and train without complaint. Her runners show up and give their best every day. Coach Jurrens leaves the Avon community with these words. Cross-country is a sport that does not always get a lot of attention. If anyone from the community has a chance, she would love for them to come to a meet and cheer on the Avon Pirate runners. Two of the closest meets will be in Pickstown on September 16th at 2:30 p.m. and in Tyndall on September 23rd at 2 p.m. Best of luck in the 2024 cross-country season!