Opinion by Clara Conroy

In fall of 2015, there were some very successful sports teams at Mount Vernon High School. Football, volleyball, and cross country teams all made it to state. Although all three sports made it, they were not all equally appreciated. Many years, it has happened that the Mount Vernon cross country team does not get acknowledged, as much as for their achievements as the other sports happening at that same time.

When the athletes for football and volleyball got sent off to play at state, they got onto the bus while the school band played music to send them off. When the cross country team got sent off to run at state, there was no band to wish them luck on their run. Not only that, but the cross country meets are not as populated as the football or volleyball games. All three sports had pep buses to transport the student and adult fans to watch the teams compete at state. The football team had so many supporters sign up to ride the bus that they needed multiple buses to get everyone there. The volleyball team also got enough people to sign up, so they took a bus too. As for the cross country team, the school provided a signup sheet for the state meet, but not enough people signed up to go, so there ended up being no pep bus.

The varsity cross country boys ended their season by winning the state meet. Unfortunately, many students did not know that they won. The school’s student body did not pay as much attention to the cross country team as the other sports teams. Some people might say that the cross country meets are too far away, but the football game in Solon was more populated with Mount Vernon students, than the cross country meet in Solon.

The football and volleyball teams get a great amount of attention from the school, more than the cross country team, but they should be equally appreciated in our district. Cross country works as hard as everyone else in different sports to achieve their goal, so they should get the same amount of respect as the other sports.