Hi-Line Athlete Profile: Brock Ross, Havre Cross Country

Blue Pony senior Brock Ross headed for the finish line

It takes a certain kind of individual to be a cross country runner and after seven years of doing it, there is little doubt that Havre High senior Brock Ross is one of those people.

Ross, who is in his third season competing for the Havre High cross country team, has just one more race to run in his high school cross country career and that will take place this Saturday in Great Falls at the All-Class state meet.

It will be a culmination of a running career that began in middle school and has progressed through each of his years as a Blue Pony. Now that the end is near, Ross, along with his teammates are simply hoping to make it count.

The Havre boys are coming off a solid finish a week ago at the Central A divisional meet in Browning as they notched a second-place finish, which is best the Ponies have done at the meet in the past few seasons.

Ross, who finished in 20th place at the meet, said that the team has worked hard all season and the improvement they have shown from week-to-week can largely be attributed to the training program put together by first-year head coach Josh Holt.

“I think obviously, with a new coach we have been challenged with different trainings,” Ross said. “We do lifting, we do cardio, we do a bunch of things that we have never really done before and I think that’s definitely had an impact.”

Of course, Ross is no stranger to running. He ran cross country and track at the Havre Middle School starting in seventh grade and has continued throughout high school. He has run track three years at HHS, competing in the 800-meter run as well as the 1,600 and the 3,200 and he plans to be on the track team again this spring.

The one year he was not a member of the cross country team was his freshmen season, when Ross played football. Yet, as a sophomore, he went back to being a runner and has been a member of the varsity team ever since.

Over the years, running has become part of who he is and even though Saturday will be the senior’s final cross country meet as a Pony, he is still hoping to run after high school, possibly even at Montana State University-Northern, which added cross country as a sport just this fall.

Ross is still undecided on what he wants to do after high school, so he is eyeing MSU-N as a start to his academic career and if he was able to make his way onto the Lights cross country team, it would simply be an added bonus.

Regardless of what he does beyond this year, running is a big part of Ross’s life and something he said he will continue to do competitively as well as just on his own for fun.

But before Ross ends his high school career, he and the Ponies have one more meet to run and as he and his teammates make their final preparations for the state meet in Great Falls, the Havre Daily News caught up with Ross for five questions.

HDN: What got you into running and why do you enjoy it so much?

Ross: “I got started in the seventh grade. I just kind of get a rush from it and it gets my mind off things. I just like pushing myself both mentally and physically. It’s a fun activity.”

HDN: What meet has been your favorite to run in?

Ross: “Well it’s kind of split between a few. I love the home meets. Running at home is always great. But I would also say that the Mountain West Classic (Missoula) and state are my other favorites.”

HDN: What is your favorite memory from running cross country at HHS?

Ross: “I would have to say it was my sophomore year at the Mountain West Classic. I got first for Havre with a 17:41, which was my personal best. And it was kind of random, I wasn’t supposed to do that and that kind of opened the door for me and showed me that if I push it, I can really get there.”

HDN: What is it like to compete at state?

Ross: “It’s really great and it’s something else. You really get that competitive side of your brain going and when you see many great runners and realize that you have to go against them, it’s something else. You see people really pushing themselves, passing out and puking, it really pushes you to your limits.”

HDN: What is your goal for state?

Ross: “I would love to run 17:41, that was my best time. But that was a year or two ago and I am still pushing hard but I would be ecstatic with that or lower. I want to personally get my PR (personal record) but I also want our team to leave a mark and do something great before my time running at Havre High is over.”