Why Cross Country is the Perfect Balance of Competition and Fun: Explained by the Women’s Team Captains

Carrie Bradbury, Review Desk Lead

For a team as large as the Women’s Cross Country Team, having strong relationships amongst teammates is essential. It can be hard to balance work and play on a team that is both Varsity and doesn’t have cuts, but that doesn’t seem to be a problem for the Women’s Cross Country Team.

“My role on the team, besides captain, is obviously supporting teammates and other runners,” said senior Iyla Freed. “I’m out there on every meet day and every race, running and trying just as hard as everyone else around me, and just doing it together with everyone else on the team, puts us all on this even playing field.”

Freed and her co-captains, Bailey Collins, Sydney Townsend, and Janie Beach-Verhey work diligently to ensure that all members of the cross-country team feel welcomed and valued. While it may seem like an easy task since there are 4 captains, one cannot overlook the impressive size of the team. They all have been running on the team since entering high school, so the role as captain has been something that they’ve been striving for since freshman year.

“I wanted to be a captain because I wanted to give freshmen and underclassmen on the team the same experience, I got from the captains that were on my team, just including everyone in a really awesome culture that encourages and gives everyone this awesome group of friends,” said Freed.

Being an inclusive group allows all classes on the team to be not only teammates but also friends. There is often a large gap between freshman and upperclassmen, due to different classes, friend groups, and interests outside of school. However, with the help of the team captains, those differences are what make the cross-country team unique and inclusive. 

“I think having a good relationship between captains and teammates is important because it can build a more positive culture and running environment for underclassmen,” said Collins. “It also helps seniors become friends with people that they wouldn’t become friends with otherwise.” 

Collins, Townsend, and Beach-Verhey have been running together since middle school, which had only just started the team a year before in 2020.

“I think it’s been really cool to see the group evolve from middle school,” said Townsend. “I think that the team culture has grown into something that a lot more people want to be a part of.” 

The Women’s Cross Country team has grown exponentially in the past two seasons and it has been an adjustment for both the coaches and captains to ensure all runners are still getting proper attention. Being connected to each and every runner is something that has been the focus for the captains this season to ensure all members' needs are met.

“I have learned from captains in the past that you really have to reach out to every girl on the team and make sure everybody is getting checked in on,” said Freed. “It can’t just be about running. You have to know what’s going on in their lives.”

As the season has progressed, providing bonding opportunities for the runners has proven helpful for creating an inclusive team. Being a strong team physically is important to the captains but being close with one another outside of just being teammates is what cross country is really about.

“We love to go do fun things, like camping and sweet frog trips and traditions such as the rat and pasta dinner,” says Freed.

The cross-country team often participates in ‘No Weigh Wednesday’, which is a discount done at Sweet Frog every Wednesday. Having the team meet after practice at Sweet Frog is an easy and practical way to bring the team together. Similarly, the team does a pre-season camping trip during the summer. The camping trip serves as a meet and greet for the freshman and new members to become familiar with each other and the returning runners.

The rat, which is a prominent object amongst the members of both the boys and girls teams, brings out competition and hilarity between the runners. Traditions such as these are a well-known part of cross country and have been in place for years. However, all of these activities are planned and carried out by the captains and other seniors. 

“I feel like it can be super beneficial to run with different people,” says Collins. “I’ve learned that going on runs with different people can really open up new opportunities to get to know people better.” 

The cross-country team is a community where anyone can join and feel welcome. This is due to the work of the captains and upperclassmen, who value community over speed. It can be hard for high schoolers to find a sport that is both competitive and fun, but cross country is a perfect balance of that. 

“I feel like a lot of people this year, including seniors, recognize that we’ve had the most team unity and created awesome relationships, and we want to continue that,” says Townsend.