Sea King Spotlight

Newton, front and center, with the rest of the team.

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Claire Qiu, Staff Writer

Jack Newton is possibly the most well-liked guy on the cross-country team, but that hasn’t gone to his head.
“I just do my thing,” the senior says modestly. Newton began running in freshman year, a decision that came because he decided that he wanted to try track. “I don’t regret it,” he says, speaking of the well-advertised pain and monotony that comes with training in running. “It was a good choice.”
Newton is one of CdM’s top runners, with a record of 4:40 for the one mile race, and 16:20 for the three mile race. He approaches races with a relaxed attitude, saying that he doesn’t think about it too much because “what’s the worst that could happen?”
It helps that Newton views practice as a time for improvement. He is always looking for that push, that chance to improve. Newton has kept himself active in lockdown by training with a few other members of the team in the mornings. “I guess I’m motivated because it’s senior year,” he says, “and I’m trying to be optimistic. I want [our season] to happen.” He confesses to being a bit stir-crazy, given that he tore his MCL last year, and missed out on most of the season.
This optimism, coupled with a no-nonsense work ethic, has garnered high opinions of Newton from other members of the team, and they frequently seek him out for his running advice, which includes mantras like “keep running, and don’t stop to think about the pain.” Perhaps he is popular with the team because he has a good opinion of everyone else, calling the team “encouraging” because “everyone is on the same team even though it’s an individual sport.” Despite these praises, Newton says that he has no intention of taking over as team captain. Call this surprising, but his top priority is “being a good runner. It’s a bit too much responsibility, the captain thing, and that’s not really me.”
Newton also has a penchant for turning tough runs into fond memories to look back on and laugh about. “My favorite memory,” he says, “is that time when it was Harrison’s last day, so we let him pick our running route, and he made us run six school loops. Just loop, after loop, after loop, for six miles. God, that was terrible.” School loops, of course, are laps around the school that are one mile long each.
Despite his exemplary racing times, Newton is “not so sure if I want to run in college,” he says. “Once you get to that level, it gets really time-consuming, and I don’t really want running to feel like a job. It’s one of the things that’s fun.”
In addition to running, Newton enjoys surfing and playing soccer. “I was on the surf team freshman year, and I’ve been playing soccer all my life,” he explains. In fact, getting in shape for soccer was the reason why he joined running.
Advice for runners just starting out? “Do it,” Newton says firmly. “[It] helps you with [staying] in shape and being healthy; it’s a healthy sport.”
Clearly, Newton’s own words have served him well in his time as an athlete. “Running,” he adds, “is a lifestyle; it requires discipline and perseverance, but can be extremely rewarding.”