Senior Spotlight: Jack McClelland

Each week we will feature one or two of our fantastic senior members of the Cross Country team.

This week's first feature is Jack McClelland.

Jack has been an integral part of both the Cross Country and Track & Field teams during his years at LVHS. Jack has been an inspiration for our younger groups, showing them that with hard work you can see tremendous improvement in any event that you sent your mind to. Jack has excelled in field events during track season, adding his name to LV's All-Time list in the Long Jump. The coaches' fondest memories of Jack are when he jumped so far that they questioned the results (he repeated the performance many times after!) and, of course, the quad cramp at Great Meadow (he mentions this below).

Let's learn a little more about Jack!

How many years have you been running Cross Country for LVHS, and why did you start?

I’ve been running for 4 years. Bradley Bernard was the main reason for me starting XC. I would have never thought to join XC in the first place because I hated running. Bradley convinced me and the first year of XC was an amazing experience.

PRs (XC & Track)

5k: 19:33

Long Jump: 21-2

Discus: 119-1

110m Hurdles: 17.77

A few favorite moments from meets or practices...

One of my favorite moments in XC was the team dinner at Emory Hill's house. That moment when the whole team was there was amazing. At Emory’s house, we had a ton of food and we all played a lot of games. That was the first I saw the whole team actually connect with each other. It felt like the team knew each other for years even though it was only a couple months.

Most embarrassing XC moment?

The most embarrassing thing that happened to me was at Great Meadows sophomore year. It was super hot out and I forgot to eat a good meal and drink water before the race. The race started out very well, I believe I was running at a 21:30 minute 5k pace. Around the 3 mile marker my leg started to cramp up and I couldn’t run anymore. I went from middle of the pack of the race to pretty much dead last. At the end of it, I ran a 31 minute 5k. This race is the day that I found out why drinking water and eating food before is important.

If you could pick a Quote of the Week, what would it be? (Your own original or an existing quote)

"Believe. Believe. Believe." - Billy Mills, 1964 Olympic Champion 10,000m (Our team moto for the past 3 seasons)

Impart some wisdom on our younger and future runners....what should they know?

I have two things: One is having a good day diet and being constantly hydrated is one of the best things you can do for yourself. The other thing is, don’t overdo it, which I know sounds weird and how you should always push yourself, but I’ve known countless of runners that have overdone it and caused a lot of injuries on their legs. I’m not saying don’t run hard at all, but just be an advocate for yourself and make sure that if you were in a lot of pain, you stop running not push through it because that’s what leads to a lot of injuries.

Current possible plans for next year?

My plan is to run track in college. Mainly going for decathlon.

If you could have dinner with anyone (alive or from the past), who would it be and why?

That would have to be Jesus Christ! A couple years ago, I accepted Jesus Christ review my Lord and Savior. Sitting down having a dinner with him would be such an amazing experience. I would have so many questions and also show my appreciation for everything he’s done for this world.

Do you have a song that gets you pumped for racing? If so, which song? If not, what does get you pumped?

I don’t have a hype song that gets me pumped up, but at the start line of the race the team gets in the huddle and we hype each other up. (Jack often leads this!)

Do you have anything others may not know about you related to running XC? Superstitions, strange routines?

My superstition is, I wear tall socks, so that I can wrap them around the back of my heel of my spikes. I have no idea why I do it, but it just feels right to do.

Toughest or favorite XC workout?

The toughest workouts for me are the Blue Ridge workouts: Mile-800-mile-800-mile and then hill sprints!

Favorite or most influential teacher (from any year, K-12), why?

It would have to be my seventh grade English teacher. My worst subject in school is English and she knew that I didn’t enjoy the class. Mrs. Hagerty helped me enjoy English and reading and writing because she was just such a kind and caring person. There are some teachers that I just feel like don’t connect to students and all that, but Mrs. Hagerty connected with each and every student personally, and I really appreciate it about her.

Who would you like to thank for your journey through LVHS?

I would like to thank my parents because they have helped me get through a lot and also being there for me whenever I need it. They deserve the world and that’s my goal is to give that to them.

Anything else you would like to say as a senior?

I'd also like to thank Coach Shirk, Coach Ciara, Coach Wyman, and Coach Moore for helping the cross country and track and field team. I know some days are really hard with the team, but we just appreciate you all for everything you’ve done for us.

Thank you, Jack, for everything you've done for LVHS!