Your Kid Just Started Middle School XC. Here's What Parents Should (and Shouldn't) Do
Written by Coach Justin Roeder
Middle school cross country season opens this Saturday across Indiana, and I get a wave of the same parent questions every year around this time. So let's talk about it directly, from someone who's coached this age group and also coached the college version of it.
Do let them own the sport. The kids who stick with running long-term are almost always the ones who feel like it's theirs, not something being managed for them. Ask questions, show up, cheer loud. Don't run the plan for them.
Don't compare splits in the car ride home. I promise this comes from a good place every time, and I promise it backfires almost every time too. The ride home after a race is for food and quiet, not a breakdown of mile splits. Let the coach handle the debrief.
Do care more about consistency than a single result. Middle school is base-building territory. It's where a love of the sport gets built or gets killed. One bad race in sixth grade means almost nothing for where a kid ends up by their junior year of high school. Long-term development beats any single Saturday.
Don't skip strength and mobility because "they're just a kid." This is actually the opposite of what young, growing bodies need. Building good movement patterns and joint stability early is some of the most valuable time you can invest, because it's a lot easier to build good habits at 12 than to fix bad ones at 16. This is a big part of why we start strength and mobilitywork early with our younger athletes, not just the varsity kids chasing state qualifying times.
Do ask about the "why" behind workouts. A coach who can explain why a workout is structured the way it is, not just hand out a piece of paper, is a coach worth trusting with your kid three or four days a week.
If you're new to this and want your athlete around an environment built specifically for competitive middle and high schoolers, not just wedged into an adult training group, see how our club works.
If you want more individualized attention as they develop, 1:1 coaching is there when you're ready.
Got questions before the season gets going, reach out, I answer these myself. And if you want to know more about who's actually coaching your kid, here's my background.
Good luck this weekend to every middle schooler toeing the line for the first time. It's a great season to fall in love with this sport.
