Seven cross country runners are on the final stretch of a steep hill after running the half-mile course for the third time. When they reach the top, struggling to catch their breath, they are reminded of the team’s motto of “shared suffering” as they grab water from senior Jamie Stroud, who is sweating in dress pants and a collared shirt beneath the 95 degree sun.

Stroud is known on the team for two things — his dedication and his fancy attire. Every morning he showers at 5 a.m. and then sleeps until 6 a.m., when he applies hair gel and changes into clothes for CAPS. While he normally just prefers to not change again after school, Stroud chooses to dress up for Saturday practices and pasta parties as well.

“If I didn’t, people would judge me for not wearing it today when I wear it every other day,” Stroud said. “I dress for success.”

Managing cross country is one of the first activities Stroud joined since transferring from Blue Valley Northwest for his senior year.

 “I made a deal with David Goodwin that I’d switch to Southwest, and part of that deal was that I would join some form of the cross country team,” Stroud said. “I don’t run, so I was like, ‘I’ll just manage instead.’”

Although managing seems like a repetitive job, Stroud has encountered his share of bumps in the road. Last week, he was nearly attacked while sitting on a bench before practice.

“For whatever reason, geese know what time Deanna Rose opens, and I sat right in front of where they land,” Stroud said. “It’s scary if you’re not expecting it. It [management] is a very risky job — I put my life on the line every day.”

Overall, Stroud sums up his role as a manager the same way anyone on the team would.

“I give the best darn water ever and I give service with a smile,” Stroud said. “And I wear a tie.”

Cross country runners on Jamie Stroud

• “Jamie is awesome. He works super hard and he dresses up for everything we do. Very cool ties.” -Junior Jake Urich
• “He wears a lot of fancy, unnecessary clothes. He always likes to come way over-prepared — like today, he brought his first aid kit with antiseptic and three boxes of band-aids and a ton of gauze.” -freshman Alexandria Clark
• “Jamie is very full of swag because he has the guts to wear a wooden tie. Jamie has been the best manager in four years; he’s also been the best dressed in four years.” -senior Brady Wagner
• “He’s very dedicated and he’s just a nice person all around. He gets stuff done and he’s a pretty cool guy to be around in general — and I like the suits.” -junior Makalia Ohmes

More on Jamie Stroud

• Favorite Food: “I don’t want to be stereotypical and go with pizza and chinese food, but those are two very high things on my list. But stuffing is also very good.”
• Favorite Animal: Rhinoceros
• Career: “For a while I wanted to be somewhat of a pilot — something with physics or astronomy. But now I kind of want to go into medicine.”
• View on Meaning of Life: “I generally think life is a mixture of lithium and iron…the meaning of life can be anything you want it to be, really. There’s no clear answer.”