Meet Swampscott HS cross country coach W.F. Newhall
SWAMPSCOTT, Mass. — When W.F. Newhall entered Swampscott High School as a student in the 1970s, competitive running wasn’t on his radar. “My dad may have mentioned it, but it went in one ear and out the other,” Newhall joked during an interview with us. “Then, I had buddies who were on the Cross Country team who played basketball after practice. I went out for Cross Country for just that reason, I liked basketball.” He was about to be humbled. “The first time we did a six-mile run I thought I was going to die,” he chuckled. “But I stuck with it. Growing up in such a sports town, I wanted to wear Swampscott on my sleeve.”
Today, nearly 50 years later, he still wears Swampscott proudly, but now as coach of that very same program. Unlike Track & Field, its cousin Cross Country is a bit lesser known – with some significant differences. “Cross Country involves running on often uneven terrain – path, roads, or trails,” Newhall explained. “Typical distances are 2.5 and 3.1 miles, also known as the 5K.”
Swampscott’s home course is a combination of asphalt road and the trails of Jackson Park. “You’ll find yourself on hills and some difficult terrain for over two miles,” Newhall said. The program ranges from seventeen to thirty runners every fall – split between girls and boys – a smaller group than its local competitors. “But it’s tight knit,” Newhall said. “Unlike Track and Field, everyone on the Cross Country team is getting ready for the same course. We are together 5 days per week, doing the same workout at various levels.”
As coach, he hopes he can help his runners develop what he calls a “blueprint for success”: sacrifice, perseverance, determination, setting goals, time management, grit, creativity, and patience. “Those are things that only make a great runner but are important in any endeavor,” Newhall noted. “If they improve as a runner, I want them to understand it is because they’ve developed those character traits.”
Newhall also hopes his runners develop something that he clearly has over his half century at the sport. “An appreciation for running,” Newhall said. “Not just a competitive athlete, but just as a great way to exercise through their whole life. Newhall helps new runners ‘get over the hump.’ “If you can get to a certain fitness level where you can go out and run 30 to 40 minutes, nice and easy, and develop an appreciation for running on a beautiful crisp fall day, that’s something you can have your whole life.”
As for the team’s prospects this year “we’re in a rebuilding phase,” Newhall reports. “We’re up against tough competition in Danvers, Peabody, Beverly, and Marblehead. We’re working to get stronger. If you’re interested in running, give us a shot.”
Newhall says any SHS student interested in the Cross Country should head to the cafeteria to meet the team any day after school through mid-November.
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