Cross Country Leadership Joshua Edward Puente

The proudest personal experience of my life was being elected captain of the Carlsbad cross country team. I learned to become a leader by example and to inspire my teammates so that we could achieve our personal and collective best.

It seems like only yesterday that I ran my first cross country race. I had thought that making the varsity team would prove easy. It was only after the varsity runners took off that reality hit me. As each Carlsbad runner passed me, pain and sweat on every face, I realized the hard work and the many trials each had endured. Three years later, the very varsity team I admired I now led. It was a new band of brothers. I felt pride, honor and confidence surging through my veins. Carrying the responsibility of leading my teammates, I now carried the torch that had been passed down by each captain to the next. This was my team to lead.

The Carlsbad High School’s cross country team has been recognized repeatedly for its exceptional ability to stand alone as accomplished scholar athletes. The duty of the team captain is to represent such uniqueness inside and outside the classroom. The captain must exceed all other teammate’s efforts to serve as the rightful leader. If that meant losing sleep to get an extra...