As the end of the day bell chimes at 2:20 p.m., students stream to their after school activities. Drawing attention to the crowd with their athletic tops around the pavilion, a closer look entails the cross-country teams preparing for yet another run. With a load of new faces, one senior stands out among his team: captain Anthony Roles-Fotso. Being a three-year member of the team, Roles-Fotso has had a lot of experience with the sport and how to lead the way.
Joining cross-country his sophomore year, Roles-Fotso sought to improve his endurance for soccer while joining a new community. Having experience with soccer and track and field, he was in shape and ready to perform his best in this new sport. Getting his initial best time for the 5-kilometer race in 19 minutes, Roles-Fotso improved to mid-17 minutes on his races.
With a consistent off-season involving camps and solo workouts, Roles-Fotso tried to keep in touch with the sport throughout the year. Meeting up in early August, the cross-country team prepared for the upcoming running season by having runners get back into peak physical condition. Hoping to fill up missing spots from seniors of the previous year, the team welcomed back the former runners, with Roles-Fotso named as captain of the boys team.
“Anthony has always been a disciplined athlete. He demonstrates leadership skills as an athlete and a person with positivity along with a rigorous structure. At first, he thought cross-country wasn’t that meaningful and did it for soccer conditioning but as time passed by it became more of a passion,” senior Catalina Quinteros said.
Despite the many 5 kilometers races along the season, Roles-Fotso found his main objective to fulfill his running enjoyment by improving his time. Working towards his goal of achieving a time lower than 16:50, each meeting counted and served as a stepping stone to accomplish his dream. The rigorous workouts such as track days and long Saturday runs proved difficult for a lot of runners, but for Roles-Fotso it was a chance of practicing his agility.
“Anthony has been an inspiration to me ever since I entered the team. He tries his hardest in practice and always goes for his personal record. He 100% fills his role as captain and is always finding ways to help others achieve their goals,” sophomore Wenceslao Halliburton said.
Anthony's Cross Country Life
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Running the first few cross-country meets of the year, Roles-Fotso received an average of 17 minutes across the board, which he accepted. However, with the team’s favorite race, the Spanish River Invitational, Roles-Fotso was ecstatic, achieving his first-ever 16-minute mark with a remarkable time of 16:59. Throughout the various meets that followed, the courses grew tougher, but to stay consistent with scores, Roles-Fotso managed to achieve his times just slightly above 17 minutes.
Entering districts on Nov. 2, the team was shrunk down to the top ten runners of the team for boys and girls. Knowing this was a key moment to help achieve his goal, Roles-Fotso ran his heart out achieving a time of 17 minutes. With the rest of the runners following behind, the team was able to secure a spot at regionals for Nov. 8. Proving to be a difficult track however, Roles-Fotso was unable to reach the 16-minute score. Not letting his ambition end, the captain had one more chance to compete with his team at states with the team qualifying.
“I think Anthony is a great leader for the cross-country team, always teaching us about specific things such as the courses. He will have a great chance to reach his goal of 16:30’s for states. I believe if he keeps a great pace, he will manage to get the time he wants and take the team farther than expected,” freshman Lucas Buch said.
Proving to be a thrilling three-year journey, Roles-Fotso’s time as captain concluded during his last cross-country race on Nov. 17 in Tallahassee, Fla., where the state competition was held, at the Apalachee Regional Park. With a remarkable time of 16:43, Roles-Fotso was able to reach his goal while his team improved their rankings from last year. The captain’s final race proved to be an astonishing ending achieving a new personal record.
“I want to leave behind a good chemistry for the group, that everybody is running for each other, and for everyone to compete with each other while holding on and maintaining their friendships,” senior Roles-Fotso said.
Hoping to leave a sense of passion, Roles-Fotso still has goals to fulfill with sports such as soccer and track and field. Wishing the cross-country team good luck next year, he looks ahead, already training for these next sports and always having something to prove.
