By: Taylor Herring
Junior Chad Moore excels in both athletics and academics. Chad, a member of the Oak Grove Cross Country Team, was recently named the two time Boys District Champion. His instructor, Coach Ryder, said that Chad won the race by over 30 seconds, and he expected him to do very well at the state competition.
Ryder was correct in assuming Moore would be successful; he finished fourth at the state competition at Mississippi College in Clinton, MS.
Moore runs five miles every morning, and averages five miles in the afternoon as well. Practicing with the team six days a week, Chad runs sixty miles each week. This is not a huge deal for him, however, because he has been running competitively for four years. To maintain endurance, many runners restrict themselves to eating a low-fat diet and drinking only water and milk. Chad is no exception; his diet consists of high protein foods and no carbonated beverages.
In order to continue performing the way he does, Moore focuses on how hard he has worked to become such a great runner. Moore credits his determination to maintain his rigorous running schedule to focusing his energy on glorifying God. Of course, winning first place in many of his meets is quite the encouragement as well. Moore said that he does plan to continue competing in cross country after high school. He hopes to earn a scholarship through the program as well, and feels confident that he will do so.
The entire team has done incredibly well this season. As Moore watches his teammates succeeding as well, he has even more of an incentive to persevere. “This cross country season went really well,” Moore said. “The team has won more meets and more individual events this year than ever before.”
