To say Ross Bush’s time running at Groton was successful is putting it very lightly. 18 school records broken. The 800-meter record holder in both the IAC and Section IV. Eight appearances at states. Two appearances at nationals. The list goes on.
Luckily for the Red Hawks’ faithful, this past school year won’t be the last they see of Bush on the course and on the track.
Bush is taking his talents to SUNY Geneseo to compete on their cross country and track and field teams. Like Bush, the Knights have quite a track record of accomplishments. Look no further than the last indoor track season where they hoisted two national titles: Ryan Hagan in the 1,500-meter run and the 4×400-meter relay team. Bush believes he’ll fit right into that championship culture.
“They have one of the best middle distance groups around, and I think they have the best 800-meter D3 squad in the nation, which really stood out to me,” Bush said. “They have a really big team and a lot of fast guys, and I think I’ll do really well there.”
Having competed against so many elite athletes in the area as well as state-wide, Bush is more than prepared to make the next step at a highly-regarded track program. Just ask Scott Weeks, who has coached him all throughout his time with the Red Hawks.
“I don’t think that Ross is going to be intimidated by them at all,” Weeks said. “He may walk in there and acknowledge that these guys are a bit faster than he is right now… but he’s not going to be intimidated by the quality that he’s going to walk into. He’s going to step right up to that level… He’s going to show up to practice every day. He’s going to work hard every day.”
Bush expressed plenty of gratitude for Weeks’ mentoring to help him become one of the top runners who have graced Groton and Tompkins County.
“He’s who I go to with any questions I have, any training plans I want to come up with, and he’s really helped guide me to where I am now,” Bush said. “I kind of owe him everything in that regard. I don’t think I would be where I am today if I had a different coach. I’m really thankful to him for all that he’s done for me, for our team, for our program. He puts in so much time, and I’m glad I can perform well to make him happy.”
Bush’s final season running for the Red Hawks was filled with many achievements. He enjoyed his best cross country campaign with top-three finishes at IACs and sectionals while placing 14th in his second appearance at states. But his favorite part of the fall was the strong team atmosphere he spearheaded as the only senior on the squad.
“With cross country, it’s a group of five guys trying to do the best they can to get a good score,” Bush said. “Seeing how our team progressed last season from not really being ones to look at to almost winning sectionals, the last meet was really exciting to see. Those are probably where my favorite memories are.”
During the indoor track season, Bush won the Section IV Class C/D title in the 600-meter run and was runner-up in the 1,000-meter run. He qualified for states in the latter event, finishing in 19th place.
He capped off his remarkable Red Hawks career with a phenomenal outdoor track campaign. At the IAC championship, he was named the boys track MVP after winning four events: the 400-meter dash, the 800-meter run, the 1,600-meter run, and the pentathlon. Of those events, he won the 400-meter dash and the 800-meter run at sectionals and qualified for states in the 800-meter run (third place) and the 1,600-meter run (seventh place).
With so many meters under his belt, Bush has grown wiser when it comes to how he approaches each race. That too will go a long way as he continues to compete year-round in college.
“Not only does he have the attitude now, but he has experience that feeds into that,” Weeks said. “He doesn’t allow the competitiveness to get away from him. Getting out too fast in a race can be pretty tragic. His wisdom, his experience has fed into this precision that he races.”
As Bush gets set to embark on a new chapter, he has learned plenty of valuable lessons from Weeks that will catapult him to even greater heights at Geneseo.
“You don’t always have to push your runs faster,” Bush said. “Sometimes it’s better to slow it down for a little while and not get burnt out by the end of the season. Easy-paced runs are supposed to be easy, and pushing past what your coach has for you isn’t always the best option in terms of preventing injury and not getting burnt out by the end of the season. Save the fast days for when they’re supposed to be fast is one of the key things I’ve learned.”
