High School Elite 50: Insight  from Southlake Carroll Alumni, CJ Brown's


Growing up I wasn’t (in my mind) always destined to be a runner. Football is the law at Carroll High School, so naturally I was ready to take my spot on the field when the time came. However, my 8th grade year, for the first time in ten years the Carroll Men’s cross country team made it out of district, then regional’s, then state. From there on out it was the intense training, hard work, brilliant coaching, and overall swagger that has thrust this program onto the national level, making Carroll cross country a feared house-hold name in not only our Lone Star state, but others as well (not to mention dethroning football as the most winning program within the school).

Being apart of this program means so much more than just a fast time or a state medal, its about not wasting a heartbeat, living everyday to its fullest and becoming a better person. I am proud to have been apart of such an auspicious program, as it has influenced my life in ways far outlaying just training and racing. The groundwork of my morals and values laid down by my parents have only been reinforced and added to by Coach Justin Leonard and the Paavo training talks. With a system so well-oiled an efficient it is no wonder that after two years of what our program would consider sub-par performances at the season’s end, the 2011 Carroll men’s team has come back with an insurmountable motivation and confidence that can’t be shook. There is no doubt in my mind that this will be a season to remember for these young men, and that they will demonstrate the true foundation of this program and its endeavors.