Not many people can say that they knew they could make a varsity team in a sport they hadn’t played before. However, Landon Flies is not one of those people.

Landon Flies, a Junior, is running for the Cross Country team and is on his way to state with multiple schools across the state of Texas. Despite the pressure, Landon does not seem worried about being outmatched.

“I am confident I’m going to succeed in this meet because I’ve been here before and know what it takes to perform at this level,” he said.

Landon reached state despite a rough start to the season.

“It feels really good, especially considering I was injured coming into this season,” he said. “Which gives me a confidence boost knowing I can overcome an injury and get back in the game.”

His experiences of having an injury which actually made him take almost two months off, and still running fast and well enough to make it to state finals show that he is dedicated to Cross Country and doesn’t take it as just a free credit.

“Knowing that there are others better than me is what has kept me going,” he said. “I feel it’s important to be competitive in this sport, much like others. And so I feel like I have to do everything I can to outperform everyone else, regardless of how impossible it may seem to do so.”

The Junior is also quick to offer advice to the newcomers to cross country.

“For Freshmen, the most important advice would be to make sure that your easy runs are actually easy, even if you don’t understand what that means at first, but just know that running shouldn’t hurt all the time,” he said. “And for more seasoned runners, some advice would be that as crazy as it sounds, running is hard, and with that said is extremely rewarding when it comes to meeting goals and pushing yourself farther than you thought you could.

“In other words, Cross Country will be very rewarding for someone who can persevere through many things.”