Eagle runners ready for '08

By CAINE GARDNER

Sports Writer

The success of any sport depends on intangibles. Those little things that separate the good from the bad and the great from the good. First year Eagle head coach Elaine Bye believes her squad has those intangibles.

The Eagles squad is led by it two senior captains Lauren Haynes and Brittany Cox. In addition to the seniors, the nine-member group is composed of two freshmen with the rest being sophomores and juniors.

South Putnam has used its summer to prepare for the fall season. Bye is encouraged by what she's seen out of her squad.

"They're looking good," Bye said. "We've been running over the summer more than they have in the past and they have a lot of heart. They're just out there with good attitudes, working hard."

Attitude was something that was apparent as the team prepared for its workout. The girls seemed like a close unit as they laughed and joked as Haynes led them in stretching.

Beyond attitude, Bye explained some of the training the Eagles did during the offseason to ready themselves for the 2008 campaign.

"Over the summer we were just running base miles, just getting our mileage base up so they're used to distance. We've done some weight training, stretching and team unity activities. We went to camp, so we got a good hill workout in. It's just been a lot of fun," Bye explained.

With the season close to beginning, Bye has been impressed with the unity of her team.

"I think the way the girls encourage each other," Bye commented. "I think they're really unified, which makes it so much easier for me. They get out there and push each other, help each other and like I said before, they got a lot of heart."

While not addressing a weakness for her team, Bye acknowledged that everyone could get better. She explained what some of the team's workouts have been like and what she thinks they need to improve on.

"Everyone can always get better. We're really going to be hitting the speed workouts so we can get their leg speed and turnover down. Their form looks pretty good, so we just have to work on getting them faster," Bye said.

With only two seniors on the team, the Eagles are obviously a young squad, but Bye likes where her team is. She acknowledged that her and her team are excited for the season to get underway.

"I really excited for it (the season)," Bye said. "They're ready to work hard and we've got some goals. During camp we talked about goals and things we wanted to do like county and conference wise.

"So we just want to get out there and throw some elbows -- in a sportsman-like way," she smiled.

The Eagles open their season at the Hokum Karem in Danville at 9 a.m. Saturday.