When people think of high school, they don’t remember the tests they took and the books they read, but they remember the activities they joined and the memories they made along the way. Senior Jackson Meeker is going to have these memories, and it’s all because he joined cross country and track.  

Meeker started running at a very young age. His parents have always loved running and convinced him to run as well. In middle school, he began to run competitively in cross country and in track. This sparked something in him and he has been running ever since, even making varsity in both sports when he was a junior.

Meeker loves competition. Since track has less people running at a time, he feels as if there is more pressure to run faster, and he gets better times. Because of this, Meeker enjoys this sport more than cross country, where there is less pressure to run fast. He did in fact take a break from track during freshman year to try golf, but soon after the season ended he realized track was the right sport for him.

“I don’t particularly enjoy running on my own,” Meeker explained. “The competition at meets is what motivates me to run fast.” Meeker firmly believes that if running was not made into competitive sports, he would not be doing it. “The competitiveness is all part of the fun,” he said. Meeker runs the 800 in track, with his best time being 2:03. He plans to run track in college to continue his career as a competitive runner.

Although it is less of a competition, Jackson Meeker said that cross country is still a great sport that he has thoroughly enjoyed being a part of throughout the years. He is happy with his times and friends he has made along the way. With his best time in all six years being 17:32, Meeker said he is proud of his accomplishments and wouldn’t trade the memories for anything.

This year, the cross country boys took their talent all the way to state, and placed 11th overall. Even though running cross country has been a part of his life since seventh grade, Meeker doesn’t think he will be running this particular sport in college, as it is not something he sees himself enjoying as much as track.

Running is clearly something that has been a big part of Meekers life, and will probably continue to change him for the better in the future to come. “My mom and dad are what got me into this, so I have them to thank for everything.” Meeker wouldn’t be the successful runner he is today without the motivation from his friends and teammates, or the support from his parents and family.

Meeker strongly thinks that people who like to run should definitely join these two sports. “To aspiring runners; work hard and be patient,” said Meeker, “the work you put in will show in the end.”