The Cross Country women’s team huddles for a pre-meet team chant.
Photo cred: Sydney Moretz.
The Cross Country team at Watauga High School is a valued and respected team. It has traditionally been a small part of “overall” Watauga culture, but when students see the Cross Country guys bring out their kilts, they know exactly what team it is. Cross Country runners are known for wearing silly outfits around the school and simply for being a close knit team.
Senior Maggie Souza, a team captain on the Women's Cross Country team, makes uniting the JV and Varsity teams a goal.
“The night before each weekend meet, the team comes together at one runner's house to eat dinner together and hang out,” Souza said. “It has been so fun to be united and be able to eat, talk, and laugh together.”
Souza and her team use other ways to foster a close family environment on Cross Country.
“Sometimes we also go on pack runs,” Souza said. “This is when most or all of the women’s team does a group run at the pace of one of our JV runners so that everyone can be included. Since on normal runs or workout days, we all might not be able to spend as much time together, these recovery runs allow us to get to know each other better and have fun.”
The three captains of the women’s team also organized a team-bonding camping trip before the official season began.
“We played games together, made food, told stories, and so much more. That time spent early on in the season really helped to bond everyone before any of us were sorted onto Varsity or JV,” said Souza. “It gave us fun memories and jokes to look back on, and I think it was very important to do that so everyone can get to know each other before the season really kicks into high gear.”
Sophomore Calvin Zwetsloot, a member of the Men's Varsity Team, says that one of the best ways for team members to be supportive is to cheer for all their teammates when their race is over.
“One thing we do before races is our ‘Mudcats’ [the men’s informal team name] chant and we get everyone on the team hyped for their race,” said Zwetsloot.
Zwetsloot also considers the men’s team one large team, not two.
“As a team, I think we can all agree we are not split up between Varsity and JV. Even though we race different races, we all race for the same team,” said Zwetsloot.
Sophomore Annie Willis, a member of the women's JV team, finds the women’s pre-meet team chant empowering.
“We have a whole routine of phrases we say, and at the end, we say ‘pain is weakness leaving the body’ and get louder each time we say it until we are screaming,” said Willis. “You can feel it when you say each word and how empowering it can be right before a big race. We also say team prayers, and anyone who wants to can join, which can make a lot of us at ease.”
Cross Country is one of the closest teams because of how close the JV and Varsity teams are. The captains are always working to make the team as inclusive as they can.
“I think it's super important that we are seen as one complete team instead of two different teams, because although we may not do the workouts all together and we all have our own speeds, everyone needs to support everyone,” said Souza. “It's easy for that to get lost when you are only thinking about your Varsity or JV teammates, but every single person participating on this team is giving it their all and deserves an entire team of girls who will support them and love them through all of their season's ups and downs.”
Cross Country has all sorts of traditions, like wearing dresses and running shoes to school before the Conference meet, pre-meet pasta dinners, loud hype chants, and “flour runs.” The seniors write encouragement letters every meet, and even in the toughest of workouts, there is someone smiling. It is a rigorous sport, but one with the best teammates and friends one can ask for.
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