Steinbrenner Cross Country started the 2024 season at the Whispering Pines Invitational on August 31st. The Warriors Boss Cross team who had an outstanding 2023 season looked to up their standards in 2024. The boss cross’s senior runner Jamin DeWitt set expectations high when he spoke about the team’s expectations, “Winning States.” The senior kept his answer short and simple, summarizing the team’s goal. Boss Cross has started preparing for Whispering Pines and the rest of the year as soon as last year ended by doing a camp and conditioning runs during the summer.
When the Whispering Pines Invitational finally came around the Warriors were beyond prepared. Led by Sophomore Jack Bronder for the JV team and Junior Luca Martin for Varsity, the Warriors raced to the finish line for a huge opening season victory. Luca Martin who has been with Boss Cross since he was a freshman, started the season on a high note as he was one of the individual champions for the Warriors. He was not the only individual champion however, as Sophomore Jack Bronder took home a solo victory as well. Bronder, who competed on the Boss Cross team last year, made a statement by taking home first place as a sophomore. After his first win Bronder had this to say, “lots of hard work… that’s what it takes to find success”.
Both Varsity and JV are heading in the right direction this season, a huge part of their success is how connected they are as a team. Varsity and JV work hard together as teammates and have created a great bond, Luca Martin said, “We have been meeting every day to run as a team and doing workout challenges together”. Not only does Boss Cross Workout and meet to run over the Summer, but they also do team camps together. In addition the team has loads of team bonding activities like the team’s annual Pickleball tournament and working with the Humane Society of Tampa for their annual tradition of running with their dogs. All these events help them grow as runners and teammates. The Warriors complete these journeys in the offseason, so no matter what, they can stay focused on their goal and build friendships.
In the weeks leading up to the Whispering Pines Invitational Luca Martin said this about the team’s offseason, “We have been meeting every day to run as a team and doing workout challenges together…”. Martin proved that his workouts paid off as this was his first win as an individual. Jamin DeWitt expressed how he was looking forward to getting the season started when he said, “Everyone was excited to start off their season and showcase what they have been training for”. When DeWitt said “We have put in hundreds of miles” he meant that. The whole team ran the 5K at Whispering Pines, which they ran with great energy and speed. Boss Cross will build off the Whispering Pines victory as Jack Bronder said “I’m looking forward to running with my teammates who I’ve been training with for the past year. Our team is hoping to continue the success we have from Whispering Pines and carry that momentum all the way to states”. He re-established the goal for states and the standards of the Boss Cross team. The team will look to achieve that goal over the span of the rest of the season.
