Published: 12:17 AM, Thu Sep 02, 2010
Boys' cross country preview: Beaudette going the distance for his goals
By Jaclyn Shambaugh
Staff writer
As the crow flies, 600 miles can get you pretty far from Fayetteville.
Memphis, Buffalo, West Palm Beach. All about 600 miles from the All-American City through the air.
As Alex Beaudette travels - on foot, that is - there's only one place he's hoping 600 miles will get him: the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Beaudette, a senior and Jack Britt's hope to win the 2010 Mid-South cross country title, has his sights set on attending West Point next year. And he's logged 600 miles in training this summer in hopes of achieving that goal.
Sure, those 600 miles will get him places along the way.
Most likely, they'll get him across the finish line first at the Mid-South track meet.
His coach, Mike Lawrence, certainly thinks so.
"I'll be shocked to death if he doesn't win the conference," Lawrence said.
Alex came to Jack Britt as a sophomore, when his family moved from Stuttgart, Germany.
Beaudette said the cross country program at Jack Britt is far more complex than the one he came from in Germany.
"Here the training is a lot more individualized," the senior said. "In Germany, we'd do one workout for everyone, and everyone would just try to run to their potential at that point."
Lawrence said Beaudette has thrived under the more regimented structure of the Buccaneers' program.
The program matches Beaudette's work ethic and utilizes his strong sense of self-motivation.
"He had a certain amount of skill when he got here," Lawrence said. "But we were able to really develop his skill level since he's been with us."
Beaudette finished fourth in the conference last year, crossing the finish line behind champ Chase Christianson of Terry Sanford, South View's Kenny Hinman and Buc teammate Joe Cotto, all of whom have graduated.
"We have a variety of skill levels here," Lawrence said. "Alex gives me the opportunity to coach a little further down the food chain."
Beaudette is the product a military family. His father, Fran , attended the Citadel. Colonel Beaudette recently took over command of the 1st Special Forces Group at Fort Lewis, putting Alex and his family in Washington over the summer.
Spending the summer on the west coast gave Beaudette a chance to attend a cross country camp at the University of Oregon. Oregon has 12 NCAA titles between its cross country and track programs.
"I was able to attend a superior running camp this summer," Beaudette said. "With the training I've been able to put on, I have a greater advantage over my competitors."
One of the lessons he learned at the camp was the importance of running twice a day, a regimen he's kept up since returning to school.
Beaudette gets up at 5:30 each morning and runs 4 to 6 miles before getting ready for school. His second run of the day, with the rest of his Buccaneer teammates, is shorter.
Lawrence, who served in the Air Force for 23 years before becoming a teacher, says Beaudette has the attributes necessary to become a cadet, and that they're the same skills required to be a dominant runner.
"Self-motivation," the coach said. "You can give him any task, and you know he'll do it. Once you reach a certain level, everyone there pretty much has the same skill set.
"Then, it's how mentally strong are you."
Beaudette is never one to be unprepared. He shows up for the first workout of the year already in race condition, Lawrence said.
His summer workouts and training at Oregon have him already prepared to run for the conference title.
Beaudette's made the 600-mile road trip to West Point twice - once in February to visit the cross country team and again this summer for a leadership seminar.
And he's set his sights on West Point for the skills it will give him for his military career.
"Ultimately, my goal is to serve my country," Beaudette said. "And I think West Point is the best course for me to prepare for that."
Staff writer Jaclyn Shambaugh can be reached at 609-0651 or shambaughj@fayobserver.com.
Five runners to watch
Clyde Wilson, sr., Jack Britt
Patrick Arata, fr., Terry Sanford
Cooper Wurst, jr., Terry Sanford
Connor Mang, sr., South View
Josh Crawford, sr., South View