The Becker Bulldog boys and girls cross country teams are gearing up for the 2021 season, just weeks ahead of heading to the classrooms.

Boys Cross Country

This year will be exciting as the MSHSL has added a third class for some sports for the 2021 season and cross country is one of those sports!  The three class system often treats Becker better based on their student population as they can compete well as a mid-sized school in the state.  

This season, Becker will also get the opportunity to host the Section 5AA Championship meet at the Local 9 of the Pebble Creek Golf Course.  

Head Coach Dustin Weege is grateful to the public golf course for accommodating the school’s teams over the years.

“We are always so appreciative of the relationship that we have been able to have with Pebble Creek over the years and we are grateful that we will be able to host two meets on our home course in 2021,” said Weege. 

Becker’s first meet will be Tues., Oct. 5 for the Becker Invitational and then Thurs., Oct. 28 for the Section 5AA Championship Meet.  

“We look forward to competing with the quality programs in the Mississippi 8 Conference and with the Section 5AA teams (Becker, Big Lake, Foley, Milaca, Monticello, Princeton, Sauk Rapids-Rice, Spectrum, St. Cloud Tech, St. Francis, St.Cloud Apollo, Zimmerman) and with other runners in the state,” he said.

This will be Weege’s 12th season coaching at Becker and his assistant will be fifth year Coach Pat Drury.

“Drury is a fantastic asset for the Becker cross country team as he provides a great desire to invest in individuals in our community and speaks with wisdom,” said Weege.  

Drury had a school career in Ohio with a strong coach that helped guide him in many ways.  His father was the head coach for his school and challenged him to compete well while recognizing the bigger picture too.  

During meets, Coach Drury is helpful in tracking splits and providing cues and encouragement at pivotal points in the races.  During the practices, Drury is great as he runs and/or rides with the team during workouts to help monitor form and workload of student-athletes. 

“He is able to hold quality conversations with every student-athlete and demonstrates to each that we all truly care about the challenges and successes in their lives,” said Weege.  “Patrick is good at analyzing situations and providing insights that make our system better; this is especially helpful as we talk and reflect on how the student-athletes are responding to the training and as we work to help them reach their potential both in and beyond this sport.”

This season, Weege and Drury have 23 male runners on the team and are looking forward to seeing good competition at all levels.  They have five returning varsity runners  in Tyson Ricker, Mason Becker, Jase Tobako, Ryan Boecker and Caleb Reckelberg.  

“We also have a good number of guys that will be competing well to make the transition from JV and middle school into the varsity & JV realms,” said Weege. “I’m excited to see what this group and accomplish.”

Without singling out any of his athletes, Weege says each and every member of his team is a valuable contributor to the team as they work to challenge each other in practices and in competitions.  

“Additionally, by the nature of the sport, each member of the team impacts the team scores, so having everyone run their best will be important as we compete this season,” he says.  “I am excited to see more and more leadership skills shine through a few of our veteran guys as well as looking to see other guys stepping into new roles.”

Weege says nutrition is vital for all student-athletes as they certainly burn a lot of calories throughout each day.  

“We frequently talk about what I call being ‘appropriately fueled and hydrated’, says Weege .”Each week we spend some time talking about the need for proteins to rebuild stressed muscles as well as getting useful carbohydrates that burn in our energy systems.”

Weege says he and his coaches discuss cellular respiration and how the mitochondria work as the ‘powerhouses’ of one’s cells to give them energy to keep them moving each step forward.  

“Keeping our bodies well fueled is a key aspect to success,” he says.  “We also frequently talk about hydration and the importance of having our bodies properly ‘lubricated’ for joint health as well as helping with many processes in the body.  Getting several quality meals each day is important and we remind student-athletes that appropriate snacks between the school day and practice are also recommended.”

With football and soccer being other avenues students could choose to stay active, Weege is grateful he has such dedicated athletes willing to gain personal bests in a sport that is so challenging — not only physically but menatlly.

“Extracurriculars are great conduits for discussing realities of life as coaches/advisors work to continue the preparation of tomorrow’s leaders,” Weege says.  “I love seeing student-athletes experience gains from their personal investments into themselves and into their teammates.  By investing well into self and others, we can get some fantastic returns on our investments which continue to help our world improve.”  

Weege says he appreciates all the students who try out for activities and sports and will support fellow programs through individual and group investments.  

“We work to run the race of life set before us with endurance and seek to work through any barriers with clear minds,” he says.

Girls Cross Country 

The girls cross country team will once again be headed up by Coach Trisha Kealy. She is in her 17th year at the helm and will be assisted by Callie Doucette.

Kealy and Doucette have 24 girls signed up plus two managers.

As noted in the boys section, the MSHSL has changed from two classes to three classes, which the coaches association has advocated for many years. 

“We were in the large school class, so we are excited for the change,” said Kealy. “This year we will be in class AA (the middle size class) and will compete in section 5AA.  Becker will be hosting the first section championship meet for this class.”

Kealy’s captains this year are juniors Bella Duncombe, Kayla Gruenes and Regan Hausmann.  Plus, her top three runners from last year’s section meet are returning in Lexi Rose, Tasha Berthiaume and Ella McDonald.

Kealy and her coaches have always focused their attention on keeping her athelethes well-conditioned and healthy and it all begins with a good diet and plenty of water.

“Diet and nutrition are very important,” she says.  “We encourage the kids to stay away from refined sugar and eat a balanced diet.  We also emphasize hydration.”

With six other sport options on the palette for the fall season, sometimes it can be hard for student-athletes to choose where they fit and on what team or sport. Kealy and her team love having kids in their sport but encourage all students to find what is best for them and stick to it.

“We on the CC team are supportive of every sport offered at Becker,” she says.  “Each one has something positive to offer our students. We prefer not to pit one sport against the other as we are all Becker Bulldogs!!”