By Tim Dolan, Lookout Advisor
The girls cross country team is composed of 17 runners, and led by senior captains Anna Massaro, Michelle Wong, Grace Niu, and junior captain Addi Poulter. Coach Joel Hebert described them as “lead by example” types who “work hard and train hard.” This leadership ripples outward to their teammates, who are proud of their work ethic, but also likes to laugh and joke around with each other.
That approach has paid off in the past, with last year’s team coming in 6th at All State after a successful league season. When asked about goals for this year, Coach Hebert set the bar high, saying the team wants to “Dominate the small school DCL, go undefeated in regular season, win the League Championship Meet, qualify for All States at the Divisional Meet, and match or better last year’s 6th place finish.” With a history of success and lofty goals, the team draws inspiration from their mascot named “Hungry the Caterpillar.” Coach Hebert notes that the mascot is a way to remember “we always want to stay hungry, keep working and improving, both as individuals and as a team.”
While individual runners are competing against their own times, cross country is a team sport, and to succeed, a team needs multiple strong runners. Much like golf, the lower the team score, the better, with the first runner across the finish line getting one point. The first five runners for each team count towards the scoring. Coach Hebert noted that a 22 minute 5k (3.1 miles) is a good time for girls high school cross country, and to reach their goals, the team would need “five runners under 22.”
In terms of training, the team bounces back and forth between hard and easy days, and Coach Hebert noted that they “try not to have two hard days in a row.” A typical workout usually involves the whole team starting out for a run on the trails behind JGMS or the roads around town. They run for a set amount of time, say 30 minutes, with faster runners covering more distance in that time. Some days the boys and girls teams run together depending on when they have meets. Coach Hebert noted that cross country “is definitely a co-ed sport.” Cross country also has sprint workouts and weight lifting to build up burst as well as endurance.
