LINCOLN — A quick look at Tuesday’s North Star League jamboree in Alcona and you’ll see that Cole Upper finished first and Carter Upper finished second; with times 18:36 and 18:49.
The brother duo have made it a habit of finishing at or near the top of cross country races this fall, and they’ve stayed extra busy, as both are midfielders for the Tiger soccer team as well.
“Not every kid can do that, it’s hard to do both,” Alcona cross country coach Tammy Nelson said. “Last year I had some other kids that tried to do dual sport in soccer, and it didn’t work out. This year the soccer coach and I got together and said unless they can prove themselves, they can’t (dual sport). They have proven themselves. They are always willing to try harder the next time, and they are really just great kids.”
Staying this busy is nothing new for Carter Upper. The junior dual sported last fall as well, played basketball in the winter and has done baseball and track and field as well. Throw in the fact that he has a 4.0 grade point average, and he is about as well-rounded as a student athlete can get.
“I have a lot of interests, I don’t want to give any of them up unless I have to,” Carter Upper said. “It keeps me busy, I don’t like sitting around the house that much.”
News Photo by Ben Murphy Cole Upper
Carter Upper certainly hasn’t been sitting around. Between practices and games for both sports, he is usually on the move somewhere.
“My parents (Melissa and Cori Upper) have been really supportive of me through the last two or three years,” he said. “They really help me keep everything in line and support us. They set me up with calendars and help with transportation. I really have to owe my parents for helping me keep up. I am just really proud of myself for being able to handle it all.”
Of course, having your younger brother along the way has added to the uniqueness of his situation.
“It is kind of fun, because we have enjoyed the same sports and we get to share this together,” Carter Upper said. “I get to kind of teach him and he gives me a new perspective on sports that I haven’t seen before. He has better times than me in cross country, but I can keep up with him on the soccer field. Dual sporting is just pretty hard, and I feel like this is one of my biggest accomplishments, being able to handle it all.”
Cole Upper likes the fact that he gets to compete in sports with his brother as well.
“Yeah (I like it), but sometimes we get a little competitive with each other,” he said.
Like his older brother, Cole Upper excels in the classroom, currently with a 3.9 GPA. He plans to play basketball in the winter, and dual sport once again in the spring, with track and baseball.
“I like doing both (this fall), but sometimes on hard days it can get really tiring,” he said. “It is really fun hanging out with both teams. I keep up with (homework) on bus rides to places and my brother helps me get to practices.”
As a freshman, Cole Upper has a chance at winning the North Star League individual championship. He will have to fend off fellow front runner, Hale’s Alex Wanty in the final conference jamboree on Tuesday at Fairview, but he feels he has put in the work for the opportunity.
“I have trained since I was in sixth grade for cross country and just kind of done well,” he said. “I am hoping to break 18 minutes and start going towards the school record (17:51). I think cross country helps a lot with soccer, because it keeps me running the whole time. I can just keep moving the whole game.”
Both Carter and Cole have their sights on qualifying for the state finals. Carter did that last year as a sophomore, and Cole is of course hoping to be a first-time qualifier this year.
“That is definitely one of my goals,” Carter Upper said.
Their head coach isn’t going to be the one to count either one of them out of the mix. After all, she has seen first hand how they haven’t missed a beat, despite countless days that go until 7 pm or later when they go from school, to cross country practice and then to soccer practice.
“I think it’s all with their work ethic,” Nelson said. “Last year, Carter wasn’t really predicted to go to the states. We looked at all the numbers, saw who he had to beat and he said I am going to do this and boom he made it to the states. That is both of their goals this year, and hopefully they can. I would never doubt either one of them.”
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News Photo by Ben Murphy Carter Upper
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News Photo by Ben Murphy Cole Upper
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