“I’m just glad that I’m able to compete at state, and that I can enjoy what I’ve earned so far this season. I may be there alone but I know I run with my friends family, and God who are always there for me.” – Henry Beckman, a Varsity Cross Country and Team Captain competing at the State of Texas UIL Cross Country Championships on Saturday.
Henry Beckman, this Saturday, solely represents Jesuit at the State Championships this year, an achievement that places him amongst the elite of Jesuit Ranger runners under the tutelage of current cross country head coach Douglas Robinson.
Beckman tore through the North Texas cross country field beginning in September, taking gold at the Fossil Ridge and McNeil Invitational, taking 7th at the highly competitive McKinney Boyd Invitational, and also earning 3rd at the Jesuit Ranger Classic. To cap it all off, he earned gold at the district championships in early October.
“That was one of my favorite moments of the season,” Beckman would recall, “it was perfect.”
But as Beckman says himself, he didn’t do it alone – the Ranger XC team scored well at multiple invitationals, with outstanding performances by fellow Varsity runners such as Charlie Thornton, Drew Lamberson, Henry King (who is only a freshman yet still qualified for varsity), Jackson Schutze, Ethan Irrobali, and Jaxon Tanner.
“Varsity inspired me countless times throughout the season, especially our team captains Henry Beckman, Charlie Thornton, and Francisco Almaguer. We had injuries, ups and downs throughout, but they maintained focus on consistent improvement and hard work.” – Coach Doug Robinson at his end-of-the-year speech at the Cross Country Banquet
JV wasn’t far behind their older brothers – Ethan Speer tossed his hat in to execute numerous comeback top 10 finishes, including a time when he was literally trampled by multiple runners yet got back up to finish 10th at Fossil Ridge. And Joaquin Lopez, Kevin Nazareth, Samuel Loh, Sebastian Espinoza, Alex Shomin, Andrew Wilson also ran well and likewise bumped up JV’s records in numerous races.
But a number of injuries amongst varsity – and the fact that JV does not advance past districts – meant that Beckman ran alone at regionals in Lubbock.
“The elevation was hard to adjust to, so my time was at 15:31, but I’m confident I can get it down to 15:15 in time for state.” – Henry Beckman
Beckman earned 11th at regionals, out of a field of 179 runners who had qualified.
To see how Beckman was practicing for the state, I went to the team’s cross-country practice on Tuesday, October 31st. The temperature was a frigid 36 degrees, with each runner bundled in 3 or more layers and sweatpants. Although Henry was the only runner required to be there (the rest of the team is on a 2-week break), others opted to attend what Coach Robinson affectionately calls the “Henry and Friends” practices.
While Samuel Loh, Kevin Nazareth, and Sebastian Espinoza stretched up ahead, Henry arrived with Charlie by his side. The two had run neck and neck through numerous races throughout junior and senior years and forged a strong friendship. This year, Charlie unfortunately suffered both severe tendinitis and shin splints which kept him out of several races, but was still able to etch out impressive performances at Myers Park and districts, even as the pain from his injury lingered.
At his speech at the cross country end-of-the-year banquet, Charlie Thornton commented that
“the injuries were unfortunate, but at the end of the day you run with God, and if you remember that you’ll always keep going.”
Now he finds himself running with Beckman to encourage him onto state. The two, after a brief warm-up, moved to Coach Clark for instructions.
After a briefing by the Coach, the runners nodded their heads in understanding and then stepped on the track. With a call of “3,2,1 go!” they dash off, with Henry and Charlie taking the lead immediately. They surged ahead and got to the 200-yard line within 30 seconds, before easing off into a more comfortable pace into the 400s. Along the way, they threw their hats and mittens away – lifesaving when standing still in the frigid cold, but both useless and an outright impediment as your hands and head begin to sweat through the cloth.
“I hate running in the cold. I’d rather run when it’s scorching hot than right now, it’s just too much baggage.” – Henry Beckman
While they sped off for their second lap, I asked Coach Clark what it meant for them to be running together, even when one had no need to. She replied “for me, running is suffering, and you shouldn’t have to suffer alone, especially with how cold it is. These two are pushing each other further and further, and they’re getting better because of it. It makes me happy as a coach to see them go together.”
Henry agreed, commenting “They push me further, and I push them further. When you have to get up at 5:30 to run when it’s 34 degrees, it’s hard. But I know that I can make it bearable when I have those guys at my side.”
But for the past 2 weeks, cold or hot, wet or dry, Henry and his friends have been on that track, putting in the sweat to prepare Henry for state. As someone who has run cross-country for 4 years at Jesuit, the cold practices can be devastating to one’s own willpower. To run for nearly 3 miles – especially the paces elite varsity runners strive for – is taxing enough, but the added cold makes it that much harder to get up and out of bed, and to take that first step on the track.
But what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and for cross country, you need the discipline to prepare yourself for future meets. State, as Districts were, will be extremely competitive. Numerous local state powerhouses, such as McKinney Boyd, Carroll High School, and El Paso Franklin will claw their way in hopes of a strong finish. With just one Ranger heading into State, UIL regulations stipulate that Jesuit Dallas cannot win – or even place – in the event. But it doesn’t mean that Henry can’t place within the top 15 and earn himself yet another medal. After all, with a record such as this, he has a fighting chance.
“He’s one of the most competitive runners I’ve seen so far,” says Coach Bailey Clark.
As he moved into his final practice on Thursday ahead of the state championship, I got to ask Henry if he had any concluding remarks regarding the 2023 Cross Country Season. He thought for a few moments, smiled, and said the following:
“At the end of the day, I just want to thank all those who made this possible. My family, friends, and coaches all sacrificed so much for me. I couldn’t have done this without y’all.”
