Quiet anticipation remains consistent in a crowd of up to a hundred competitors for a few precious moments that feel like hours. Sophomore Brooke Taylor is among them, in line with her teammates.

The runners are briefed on the starting instructions—“This is a two count start; we’ll announce runners to your mark, set and then shoot the gun.” Following these instructions, a single pistol shot rings out. They’re off, not to stop again for a little over three miles.

This process has been repeated by Taylor many times in the years she’s been on the cross country team. Nonetheless, she never tires of the adrenaline-inducing sport, even on the more difficult courses.

Since seventh grade, Taylor has run with the cross country team. The combination of her initial liking of running, her skills and the team aspect of the sport encouraged her to stay with it for as long as she has. She’s made the varsity team in both of the years that she’s been running with her Lewis-Palmer teammates.

According to Taylor, Pre-State gave her the most trouble. The course had the runners splash through a running river, not once but twice, at the very beginning and end. They also ran up what was dryly referred to as “a mountain disguised as a hill” amongst the competitors and through a musty horse barn. Nevertheless, Taylor felt confident that her team did very well and came together to encourage each other.

“We wanted to do our best, which we definitely did. [We] booked it,” Taylor said.

In spite of being ill for a portion of the season, Taylor said she loved participating in the sport again this year and managed to achieve a satisfying personal record of 21:39.