As a sports department, we may focus too much on how the athletes in any particular sport are performing on the gridiron, basketball court, ball diamond, etc. Every single player has the word “student” come before “athlete” in their title, and for many of these kids, it’s not the only activity they participate in. The theme for Pella High’s cross country season this year is “Perfect Effort,” and according to Coach Doug Cutler, it’s more about how their runners juggle everything in their lives, and less about the quantity of work they put into the program. Cutler adds it’s about giving perfect effort into developing who they want to be. He also says the theme always evolves each year as soon as the athletes get a grasp and taste of what it means. Pella’s first meet of the year is a co-ed jaunt over to Cedar Rapids Prairie on Saturday, August 29.