Running since sixth grade, Payton Kane, Woodland’s girls cross country captain, is excited going into her senior year. After she decided to stop soccer, she searched for another sport to try. Kane joined the Long River cross country team and fell in love with running.
Small but mighty, this year’s girl cross country team consists of only seven athletes, the minimum required to participate in competitions.
“Overall, our goal is to win NVL’s” says Kane. “Our real competition is Naugatuck, but I think we should do well.”
Entering her seventh year as a runner, Kane shares this has always been her dream.
“It was kind of always my goal to be captain my senior year, and I finally got there.”
Being captain pertains to many jobs, like directing their warm ups, but Kane’s goal is to make sure everyone stays aligned and keeps morale up on the team. Kane is thrilled and hopeful to lead the team into victory.
Since running has been her life since junior high, Kane has decided to keep going even after high school. It has become a part of her daily routine.
“I’ll probably continue running as a hobby throughout my life,” adds Kane.
Although the season has started, the team is still accepting runners. Joining the team means becoming part of the family.
“We’re just a really close group of girls. We do invitationals sometimes on the weekends and then go out to eat” says Kane “I mean, we run and work hard but we make fun out of it too.”
