Runner's enthusiasm, performance quicken

0 Comments | Philadelphia Inquirer, The, September, 2006 | by Rick O'Brien

Paul Springer took up cross-country as a seventh grader at Charles F. Patton Middle School. He admits that he was not one of the team's most dedicated or enthusiastic runners. "I really didn't start working hard until my sophomore year in high school," Springer said. "Before that, I was just doing it to be around my friends." Springer, a senior at Unionville, has come a long way since middle school.

Heading into this season, he was ranked No. 6 among runners in the Northeast region of the country by one publication. At the PIAA District 1 Class AAA/AAAA championships last fall, Springer finished third overall. He covered the 3.1-mile course at Lehigh University in 15 minutes, 15 seconds. A week later, at the state championships in Hershey, the 5-foot-11 140-pounder placed...