Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG.
Chloe Noonan ’10, of Austin, Texas, shared her thoughts about (what else?) Sharples and why her teammates are the best part of running cross-country.
Daily Gazette: After a month at Swarthmore, what do you like the most?
Chloe Noonan: Personally I really like running cross-country, I love the people on my team, I love the sense of camaraderie, it was something that I wasn’t really able to find in high school as much with sports. I really like the community; I find that we’re really close-knit. You can just walk up and talk to people, and they’re very friendly and open.
DG: What is different than you expected, about college in general, or Swat in particular?
CN: I didn’t expect it to be so easy to get out and do things, I thought I was going to be bogged down with a lot of work but I find that I’m able to balance it very well with other activities. I find I’ve gotten better at managing my time as a result as a result of being here.
DG: Besides classes and homework, what do you do?
CN: I just started Swat Sudan, and I run cross-country. I wanted to gradually ease into extracurriculars because I didn’t know how much free time I was going to have. Cross-country takes up most of my life, I practice for about three, three and a half hours a day, sometimes more, and we also have to dedicate a couple of hours during the weekends and then there are meets, which require a lot of traveling. But it’s really a lot of fun; I find that I’m able to still keep up with my work and studies while doing it.
DG: What do you like most about being a member of the cross-country?
CN: It’s nice to have people on your team who really like to run as well, because it’s a very insular sport, running is not a team sport, or it doesn’t have to be, but with the people I run with we really are a highly functioning unit, we run together, we do everything together, there’s just a wonderful sense of being with people, we talk on our runs. And the coach is great. The thing I really like about my teammates is we are very self-motivatedÑyou don’t have to tell us to do our best because we wouldn’t do anything less. And I think that with people here you find that in every single discipline, that you don’t have to tell us to work hard; coach understands that.
DG: What would you change about Swat if you could? Or, what do you dislike about Swarthmore?
CN: Besides Sharples closing so early, because we have to run for so long that we’re usually running down just as they’re closing. The other thing that I found difficult is being able to see people in other dorms just because the doors are always closed. I understand that it’s a security effort, but it’s just sort of a pain to have to call someone and say, “Hey can I come over?” I’ve had to make a big effort to see my friends in other living areas on campus.
DG: What are your hopes for the future?
CN: That I can meet new people and try as many new things as possible. That’s what’s most important to me, to get as I can out of the experience.
