If you drove down 1300 East a few weeks ago, you would have seen a school bus full of Highland cross-country runners admiring the giant banners of all the seniors on the team.
It probably wouldn’t have seemed like a big deal, since seniors from all the other sports also get banners that are much closer to Highland.
But what’s different about those other sports is how they are more noticed by the school and the community than cross-country is.
Sports like football and cheer use their popularity to gain supporters and fundraise huge amounts of money each year, while cross-country doesn’t have nearly as much support to get new equipment, or travel farther for meets.
Even those senior banners on 1300 East are brand new since this is the first year cross-country got this kind of recognition.
But everything changed on November 4, when NIKE marketing representative, Alberto Mena, partnered with Salt Lake Running Company (SLRC) and began working with the Highland cross-country head coach, Laurie Humbert.
Mena offered the Highland cross-country team a $1500 stipend travel check and gave every runner a new free pair of NIKE running shoes at an event in Salt Lake City.
“The idea is to highlight a local team in the area who is up and coming and give them some support and some motivation to accomplish their goals throughout the season,” Mena said.
NIKE picks one school in the Utah area to work with every year. And with it only being the second year of this tradition, the Highland cross-country team was very honored that they had enough success this season to get NIKE’s attention.
NIKE and SLRC try to pick schools who are up and coming and may need some more support financially or otherwise.
“I think it’s cool that our school is getting recognized,” Humbert said. “That we’re doing better every year.”
The check will go towards any Highland runner who wants to compete at Nike Cross Regionals (NXR) in Arizona later in November, and will cover hotels, registration fees, and anything else the team might need to make traveling a little easier.
Maddie Reeder, a junior at Highland and the 4a State champion, raced at NXR last year and is planning on racing it again for some more success.
“I’m very excited to be running at NXR again, and the travel money will for sure make it a lot easier,” Reeder said.
After years without much recognition and support, the Highland cross-country team is being rewarded for their hard work and determination as they’re finishing one of their most successful seasons yet.
