Brad Kinemer has been running since sixth grade at Burgundy Farm. He has competed for T. C. Williams for the past four years and it was no surprise to Cross Country fans when he took first place at last weeks Patriot District competition, qualifying for the Northern Region meet.

I enjoy the flexibility of cross country because its both a team and an individual sport, Brad said. An athlete has a lot of control over his success: the harder you practice, the better you will get.

There are also a lot of ways to be successful.You can do well by where you finish, by improving your time or just through effort.You can compete against other runners, of course, but you can also compete against your own previous times, Brad said.

His most memorable experience occurred at last years William & Mary Invitational. I lost my shoe at two miles, stopped to take the other one off and still placed third in the race, Brad said.

He has applied to Dartmouth and is considering UVA. He plans to run in college and has scholarship opportunities to do so.