By Derrick Smith

Almost every high school has a rival, another school that they play consistently, and the games are tough. They are the school that every member of your team wants to beat no matter what. Brock Barr runs cross country and track for Chickasha High School, and he knows exactly what to do when he sees his opponents.

“I love to beat Anadarko,” he said. “They are definitely our rival. Every time I see ‘Darko’ in a competition, I know that I have to pass them. When I am running, I am also trying to beat my own time and get better with every race.”

Barr, who is a junior, has had some great moments throughout his career. Out of all of them, he has a few that stand out as his favorites. 

“When I was in the eighth grade, I won the ORES state cross country championship,” he said. “Another would have to be my first time running 12 miles in under two hours. I qualified for cross country state during my junior year and also for the pole vault with a nine-foot jump after only starting it six weeks earlier.”

In order to accomplish the things he has so far and as well as the things we wants, Brock has had to put in a lot of work and preparation.

“It has taken a lot to be able to compete like I do today,” he said. “Lots of high weekly mileage, interval work, tempo runs, and more than anything else consistency. Consistency is the key. I am simply wanting to be the best I can be.”

The sports that Barr competes in are more than just running around a track or a planned route. He has had to learn how to prepare himself for each race.

“I have had to do a lot of learning on how to train in the most optimal way,” he said. “My freshman and sophomore years were really intense with runs every day, but I never got faster. When I learned the 80/20 rule, where 80 percent of your runs are slow and long and 20 percent are short and fast, it changed everything and helped me a ton.”