October 8, 2018
By Christina Li
Athletics are a large part of many students’ lives at LHS. The cross country team in particular helps shape the life of Lucas DiCerbo, a senior. He is a current cross country team captain at LHS, and has been a part of the team since freshman year. He discovered running years earlier, in middle school.
Since then, his running career has taken off. While the sport adds a lot to his plate, it plays several positive roles in his life at the same time.
“From an everyday stress reliever, to an easy way to hangout and catch up with my friends… running is essential to maintaining a balance in my life. It is probably the best possible thing for my mental health… That’s not to say it’s not hard to manage it all.”
Being a leader within the community, he places a lot of emphasis on the strong bond of the team.
“Suffering through hill repeats, dynamic stretches, coach’s weird jokes, and endless mileage can bring so much [unity]. Yes, the races are technically individual, but every single other thing on this team is done together.”
He describes one of his passions as impacting LHS in positive ways. Being a captain of the cross country team provides DiCerbo with an opportunity to positively influence those around him. He strives to make the team a welcoming and open community.
“There is no separation by grade or by gender… [and there is] an unwritten expectation for this team to avoid any sort of drama or controversy… For those 2 hours every day, they are just another member of the team, with the same goals and aspirations as everyone else: to be the best runner that they can be. If we as captains are able to make this...happen at every practice, I would say that we have done our job correctly.”
Throughout his career, DiCerbo has identified one of his strengths as an athlete as his commitment to the sport.
“I am willing to go the extra mile to ensure that I am being the best at it that I personally can be - whether that’s extra stretching, rolling, PT or core after practice.”
He describes the physical payoff of such persistence as rewarding.
“A few years ago at running camp, I had had a cramp during a run, around the 7th mile. It was super painful but by the last few miles, it had miraculously disappeared and I felt like I was absolutely flying. Instead of stopping at mile 11 like I was supposed to, I kept going for an extra 2.1 miles. It wasn’t so much the accomplishment as [it was] how incredible I felt during the run. This true runner’s high is something I think every runner searches for and I’ve been lucky to find it even just a few times. It keeps me coming back to the sport, especially through all of the days that are much harder.”
Comentarios