The Best Pace is a Suicide Pace and Today is a Good Day to Die

     The High School for Math, Science, and Engineering Flying Dragons cross country team, “are a very tight group,” says head coach Thomas Henning. From practice to practice and meet to meet, they are always pushing each other to do the very best that they can. They have been running at the school for the past few years and although they aren’t a PSAL team, they love what they do. One of the most important values of the Flying Dragons is team spirit.

    The Flying Dragons have a very rigorous training regiment and this camaraderie is what keeps them going. They practice five days a week and run both long and short distances. The team runs on a variety of different surfaces such as grass, asphalt and dirt trails, because cross country meets span a variety of different running terrains. They do crazy things like running around in spirals on the surface of a hill; it builds up the muscles in your ankles which helps on the rough competition trails.  Kleant Daci, a runner on the Flying Dragons put it best, “You run ‘til you die and then keep on running.”

    Team companionship is the key for success in the sport of cross country, and thankfully for the Flying Dragons, this is not something that the team lacks. Everybody really gets along and they treat each other like family. When the team goes to meets, this is especially important. Daci says the Flying Dragons, “welcome each other like brothers and sisters, when someone needs an extra push we give it to them.” This is what makes the Flying Dragons such a great team; everyone is always having a fun time.

HSMSE Flying Dragons. Photo Courtesy of Thomas Henning

    Not only do they train hard and support each other throughout the year, the runners of the Flying Dragons love what they do. “It’s just a great feeling,” says Daci. Some people have also taken up leadership roles within the team. These leaders aren’t necessarily the fastest runners, but are the ones who are there for the team. They help the people that need it and really motivate the team to do better than their best.

    The main goal of the Flying Dragons is to improve their times, and many have done so. The top runners aren’t necessarily the ones who improve the most. Players such as Sam Braverman were able to improve their pace by 45 seconds, while others made similar improvement.  Improving your time is tough, but with enough effort, a love of cross country running, and support by your teammates, it becomes much easier.

    The HSMSE Flying Dragons have a great relationship with each other that helps them to improve their times. They always are supporting each other and helping them along the rocky road. For them, the key to success is support from their peers, having a good time, and running as fast as they can. As Steve Prefontaine once said, “The best pace is a suicide pace, and today is a good day to die.”

To learn more about the Flying Dragons visit their website.

Contributed to by: Greg Sakas, Timothy Jacobs and Amora Meas.