MORENCI — Having been a cross country runner himself in high school, Tony Muzzi has an appreciation for the sport.
Now, as Morenci’s new cross country coach, he’s hoping to bring new energy to the program — and more numbers. There were four varsity runners on last fall’s roster, and three of them were seniors. But Muzzi feels there’s a lot to appreciate about cross country as a discipline.
“Cross country is an interesting sport,” he said, adding that students often have different reasons for doing it. Some run cross country simply because they aren’t in another fall sport and want to stay in shape. Others are really serious about cross country for its own sake and want to pursue titles. As coach, he said, his job will be to build the program around what student athletes want to get out of it — and to keep it fun.
“People are a little bit apprehensive of cross country because they think it’s nothing but running in the woods,” Muzzi said.
But he said cross country can really be a “life builder” — something that teaches both discipline and hard work.
Muzzi learned that the cross country program needed a coach when, as a new member of the Morenci Downtown Development Authority, he was working on organizing the Run for the Roses 5K this past spring.
One of his first tasks as coach — besides working to drum up interest in the program — will be trail maintenance. For the first few practices, Muzzi will be out on the trail with the students, doing things like trimming brush and raking twigs and debris.
“I really want to make that the responsibility of the team, and I want it to be part of training,” he said. “If you’re going to take pride in a sport, you need to take pride in the field on which you play the sport.”
Cross country has a lot to offer, Muzzi said, and not just for the traditional athlete. It can also appeal to kids who may not want the attention that comes with being part of a more high-profile sport, but still like being part of a team and achieving some personal accomplishments.
“It’s a philosophical sport,” he added. “You’re up in your head for 20 minutes and you’ve gotta be OK with that.”
In addition to training on Morenci’s course — which Muzzi noted is the right length for a middle school course but not long enough to be a high school course — he hopes to take the team on training trips to other locations, such as local hiking trails and the Lost Nation State Game Area in Hillsdale County.
Muzzi knows growing the program won’t be an immediate thing, but he’s ready to start working.
“It’s going to be a struggle getting people reinterested, but the goal is, in two or three years, to be able to hold meets here in Morenci,” he said.
“The hope is that people see cross country as a serious sport at Morenci again.”
Muzzi doesn’t know how many students will be on the team this year. He’ll find out when he sees who shows up on the first day of practice.
“There’s no tryouts,” he noted. “Nobody’s going to get cut from the team. It’s just a different type of sporting experience.”