For the MSU cross country teams, travel is a way of life. With seven meets away from MSU, the men and women of the cross country teams are accustomed to traveling.
“Traveling with the team is a lot of fun,” senior Travis McKay said. “It really helps us to get to know the new freshmen and transfers.”
McKay describes the cross country trips as very quick, the longest trip lasting three days.
The team usually leaves the day before the meet and arrives at their hotel in time to go examine the course they will be competing on the next day.
“It’s very important to survey the course the night before a meet,” McKay said. “Each course is unique. Some are hilly, and some are flat. Some even have potholes. It’s important for us to be prepared.”
Jennifer McPherson of the women’s cross country team echoes McKay’s statements.
“We usually stay at a hotel close to the course so that we can warm up the night before,” she said. “Traveling together is really important because we can get to know each other better and also get to know the guys’ team.”
Both the men and women’s team consider the Notre Dame meet to be their most exciting trip.
It is the only meet that they travel to by plane, and both teams look at the trip as a chance to see an amazing place and compete against the best teams.
Coach Steve Dudley is responsible for making the hotel reservations. He makes them a year in advance, finding hotels that are nice but also affordable.
“We like our athletes to stay in nice places, but we don’t want to waste a lot of money staying at fancy places,” Dudley said. “We find them comfortable places that are close to the courses they will be running the next day.”
Dudley also said MSU travel buses are the best. They are fully equipped with DVD players, bathrooms, stereos and comfortable, spacious seating.
Coach Al Schmidt also mentions the players’ comfort on the buses.
“[Our players] are able to stretch out and study. It doesn’t bother them to travel an eight-hour trip,” Schmidt said.
Both coaches stress the importance of trips in building up the team.
Dudley believes that the trips are responsible for the team finding its group dynamic and in the players getting to know one another.
The men and women’s cross country teams will be traveling to their first meet in Sewanee, Tenn., on Friday.