When most people hear cross country, track, or running in general, they think anyone can do it.  They assume that it is easy and they don’t associate it with a skill.  People like to think sports require more skill then just some guy or girl running.  After all, if someone was to just walk out the door and run 1-2 miles, they could likely do it, but he or she would be very slow and would hurt afterwards.  Is this not the same for “real” sports, though? Can’t anyone can pick up a basketball and shoot it, or pick up a baseball bat and swing it?  So using that logic, does that mean that baseball and basketball are not sports?  No, because these are also activities that require practice and skill, just like running, to be good at them.  For someone to be good at basketball they have to constantly work on form, shooting, drills, and many other skills.  It’s the same in running; you must run many miles, work on form, stretch, and do drills.  Many people don’t understand that runners put many hours in order to be great at what they do.  Running, cross country, and track deserve just as much attention as basketball, football and baseball because they are definitely sports.