Cross Country Update: Kyle Cajero
9/14/2015 10:51:00 AM | Cross Country, Competing With Purpose Blog
Sophomore Kyle Cajero of the cross country team provides this week's update for his program:
During the summer of 2002, Brooklyn record label owner-turned-electronic artist James Murphy started a band called LCD Soundsystem. At the time of LCD Soundsystem's inception, Murphy was a frustrated 32-year-old -- nearly ancient in musician years -- coping with the concept of aging. But instead of succumbing to the inevitable process of becoming irrelevant, he used his new band's debut single in order to vent his frustrations. The single was called "Losing My Edge," yet it gained praise from Rolling Stone, NME, Pitchfork and other media outlets, which would continue throughout LCD Soundsystem's decade-long existence.
In"Losing My Edge," Murphy assumes the role of an aged hipster, recalling obscure bands and concerts like a humanities professor rattling off important dates.His trademark sardonic wit appears immediately; the opening lines "I'm losing my edge / The kids are coming up from behind" are essentially audible eye-rolls.Elsewhere in lines like "I'm losing my edge to better looking people with better ideas / And they're actually really, really nice," Murphy's sarcasm reaches unbelievable heights.
Thirteen years after LCD Soundsystem's debut, I've thought about the lyrics of "Losing My Edge" more than I usually do (full disclosure: LCD Soundsystem is my favorite band, so I think about them often). Murphy's feelings of aging and being surpassed have resonated with me since the start of cross country season.This year, our men's team added three talented freshmen. This isn't bad by any means, but with (a meager) 12 roster spots and the potential of another large recruiting class looming on the horizon, each new face places more pressure on returners such as myself. If I don't meet the team expectations during the season and the offseason, I risk getting cut.
But unlike Murphy, I don't dislike "the kids" who "are coming up from behind." In fact, I sincerely believe that newcomers Chase Green, Nick Heath and (fellowblog post author) Trevor Sytsma are "really, really nice," to say the very least. However, I'm obligated to inform the single women of Pepperdine that Chase has a girlfriend back home, but I digress.
The freshmen have been superb improvements to the team both inracing, and in perfecting our team's culture. Nick, for instance, demonstrates remarkable humility on a daily basis. If an outside observer were asked to guess the top runner on the men's team after observing the first 10 minutes of practice, they probably wouldn't choose Nick. But Nick's humility and placid demeanor make his running all the more thrilling to watch -- trust me, I've been behind him on quite a few workouts so far.
Meanwhile,Trevor has not only led the team during workouts, but also through his work ethic, dedication and leadership skills. Several returners (myself included)have pegged Trevor as a future team captain. I'm confident that he will continue to be a positive influence for the Pepperdine cross country and track teams. Managing the busy life of a Division I athlete while keeping up with chemistry and pre-med classes is impressive enough; the fact that he's excelling makes Trevor's future as a Pepperdine student-athlete even more exciting.
Lastly,Chase gives our track team a third mid-distance runner with huge upside. Chase focused on baseball for the majority of his time in high school, which makes earning a roster spot on our competitive team a noteworthy feat. Although his limited running experience may seem like a setback, my teammates and myself think this is advantageous. Chase has massive potential, and he's already improved substantially over the first month of the season.
Several days before the men's cross country roster was finalized, men's track captain Torin Wile talked with Chase on a 14-mile run at Sycamore Canyon. Torin hadn't interacted with Chase as much as he wanted to during the team trip to Lake Tahoe, so he wanted to know how Chase was feeling going into the last week of preseason. When the sensitive subject of cuts came up, Chase said that if he didn't make the team, he would work nonstop. He would ask us for our workout plans, check our results and build his mileage up just to have a better shot at making the team during next year's tryouts. When Torin recalled the conversation later that week, I was thrilled by Chase's dedication and drive.His attitude is crucial to our team's success. Our program will thrive if we continue to recruit freshmen as motivated as Chase.
In that moment, I decided I wouldn't mind if we recruited heavily for the remainder of my time as a Pepperdine student-athlete. If we want to create a championship-caliber team, we must be willing to bring in freshmen that will challenge the upperclassmen by pushing them to their limits every day. The kids might be coming up from behind, but we are thrilled with what they are bringing to the team.
Players Mentioned
