Levi Scherschel Rachel Reynolds English 106 March 25, 2014 Seven Athletes, One Family: How A Discourse

Community was Able to Turn Its Team Around Nearly every sport takes pride in the way they represent team unity with their fellow teammates. Most of the time, runners are the exception because some might consider cross country an individual sport. This actually was the case for this cross country team from 20092010. But somehow they were able to evolve their rag-tag bunch of misfits into a state qualifying team. Now the question is, why the class of 2013 was able to make a positive impact on Bedford North Lawrence High Schools cross country team. To achieve this knowledge, interviews were conducted and research has been made to find the different techniques to motivate and lead. This team had a special bond with one another and that bond created their own discourse community. The team made a family-like bond and this made it a Nondominant Discourse according to Gee because they (brought) solidarity with a particular social network, but not wider status and social goods in the society at large. For them, the first day of practice with the cross country team started just as soon as summer break did. They had summer conditioning where most of the team would meet up every weekday at six pm and Saturday mornings at eight am and they would go on group runs. Freshman immediately felt accepted by the entire team. There was no need to worry about being

hazed for being a freshman because the teammates made first-years feel so comfortable around them and most was able to make friends very quickly. A lot of the reason for that is because of the different things they did to build team unity with one another. When going out on runs, they would all run together in a pack just talking to on the run until their lungs couldnt carry a conversation and could only provide oxygen to their bloodstream. The coach called his runners Timberwolves because of the way they all ran in packs together and pushing each other to keep together as long as possible. Often times, they would have get-togethers on Friday nights with a bonfire or a game night. This helped them get to know each other better and help keep away from the whole party scene. This created friendships that last a long time. When it came to cross country races, the team was completely different from the bunch of goofy, joke-cracking bunch of guys. It was time for the game faces and representing the team as ones not to be taken lightly. Most races started on Saturday mornings. The first thing they did, together as a team, was walk the course so they could get a good visual of where they were about to compete, then they would warm-up with a steady 1.5 mile run. After that is when they would separate. Here is where they went off into their own individual worlds and they would listen to music with headphones as they stretched thoroughly to get in the right mind set to compete. After the race, they all did a cool-down three-mile run and they would all watch the awards ceremony together and by that time they were all back at being the rambunctious group of guys that they usually are. But, after the 2009 season, things would begin to slowly change. The class of 2013 brought more varsity runners than any other class in a long time with nine freshmen and three of them starting varsity out of all 21 runners. Together they knew if they put in the work, they could grow into a very successful team. It wasnt going to be easy but the gain would outweigh the pain in the end and they decided to improve their conditioning ten-fold.

They increased their weekly miles, changed their diets, and even did research on different ways to strengthen the team. Things began to change and they were improving and becoming a much stronger team. The class of 2013 became its own discourse community within the cross country discourse community. They fit under every single one of John Swales six characteristics of a discourse community. They had several private meetings together to discuss different ways to motivate other members and how they would improve on their abilities. One of the top motivations for them to take cross country more seriously was one of their top runners, Aaron Zollman. He was very good at leading them and he was very passionate about becoming a great runner. Zollman was the one that convinced them all to work hard and pushed them to create a name for the BNL cross country team that no one at the school ever batted an eye for. Zollman once said, I saw the potential that some of the runners didnt even see in themselves. I knew with the right amount of work and dedication, we could do great things but they just needed that push in the right direction. And they certainly did. Their sophomore year, they were able to take their team to the state finals. Given they made 22nd out of 24 teams but it was a taste for more glory and they were hungry for more. Each year they improved and they ended up getting 13th at the state finals. Along with that, I was able to interview two people from two different generations of runners and they just happen to be brothers. I interviewed Evan Martin, a cross country runner from the class of 2010 and Brady Martin, a cross country runner from the class of 2013. Based on the answers from the two brothers, one can tell a difference in the style of leadership between the two classes. For the 2013 class, they definitely had numbers on their side with eight seniors

while the class of 2010 had only four seniors. This helped the class of 2013 spread out the workload that team leaders have. For example; when asked how they learned the skills it took to be a team leader Brady said, We had eight seniors that all helped out with being team leaders so I tried to let the other seniors handle the big stuff while I did my part by connecting with the younger runners and making them comfortable around the rest of us. When asked what problems were associated with being a team leader, Evan said Communication with some of the other members of the cross country team. So as you can see, the numbers of team leaders the class of 2013had helped them to connect with team members.This interview showed exactly how the two generations, just 3 years apart, were still very different from one another. The discourse community that was created by the cross country team of 2013 proved to be innovators to the BNL cross country team. Through motivation, hard work, and just cheering each other on, they were able to build the team into one of the most successful cross country teams in BNL history. By changing the way they exercised, dieted, and communicated they grew stronger in themselves and in the bonds with one another. Hopefully the building doesnt end after the class of 2013 moves on and future classes can build off of what they created.

Work Cited
Martin, Evan G., and Brady S. Martin. "Interview." E-mail interview. 15 Mar. 2014.

Zollman, Aaron. Interview. E-mail interview. 4 April. 2014.