Osmin Guerrero, a sophomore, has been running long enough to define what running really is to him.  “What running means to me has changed over the years. At first it was just for fun, because when I was little my mom would sign me up for 5k’s. I never looked at it as a punishment so I just did it. I had one of the best times in elementary, then once I joined cross country, running still meant fun, but I ultimately did it for my health,” Guerrero said. 

He decided to join the cross country team in his freshman year. Guerrero is now captain of the varsity cross country team and has had an eventful experience throughout these two seasons. 

His biggest reason for joining the team as a freshman was because he was interested in joining a sport since that wasn’t possible in middle school. Cross country was the only thing that really appealed to him since he already knew how to run well. Guerrero isn’t the only one in his family who runs; it technically runs in his bloodline, because of how many of his family members used to run when they were younger. 

Guerrero’s first race as a runner for the cross country team was hectic. “We were all dressed, then we heard our gun go off, then one of my teammates said isn’t that our race, Turner looked at us, looked at the paper, looked at the race, and looked at us again and said yeah, GO! GO! We had to catch up to the rest of the team without even starting at the finish line.” Guerrero said that race wasn’t comparable to other meets he has been at, because he started the race late, but he believes he still did well.

Cross country has helped Guerrero meet incredible people. One of them being Noe Cruz, a senior. “He has this mentality I cannot comprehend, I’ve gained inspiration from him, he has helped me push through… He’s just amazing, it’s an honor to meet him, ” Guerrero said. Along with Cruz, Kellie Mena, a freshman,  has been another person he met on the team who he calls the fastest girl on the team. Meets with the team feel like a picnic to him, Ms. Torres brings games, there’s food, and they set up tarps. “Those are the best times I have with my runners, because it really brings out the casual, more energetic side out of them,” Guerrero said. 

“Turner’s job looks simple, just make us run. He is arguably the most dedicated person on the team. He’s always there for practice, always pushing us, keeping us accountable like crazy… He has that passion burning in him, and gives us strategy tips on how to run faster,” Guerrero said. He says that Turner has been a great coach to the whole team and has motivational words.

Mr. Turner had many positive words to say about Guerrero, “From the beginning of the season, he has been a dedicated athlete who comes to practice everyday to try to improve, not just for himself, but for the team. He’s the biggest cheerleader. When he crosses the finish line he doesn’t stop, he helps with passing out water to the other runners. He has shown leadership qualities since day one, and I am proud to have him as the captain for the boys varsity cross country team.”

Guerrero is trying to leave a mark in the two years he has left at this school. He wants to be number one in the league and go to state. Just this season, Guerrero won a race which was a surprise to him because of all the good runners that were there. “I felt elated, happy.” His greatest accomplishment so far is running a 5k in just 18:58 minutes. 

Not only did he make a commitment to cross country, but will be making a commitment to wrestling, SRLA, and track and field. Guerrero will continue to run in his free time and before practice in order to become faster.