After losing one of the top runners in the state, Mimi Smith, New Trier cross country is ready to have another successful season and is already training to win at state.
With roughly 200 girls and 160 boys, the Trevians have plenty of talent to compete this season. With summer training over, coaches are now prepared to train state-winning runners.
Senior captain Juliet Gunther said that, “(the team has) been focusing on building both speed and endurance by alternating workouts for each. We will build mileage on some days and run for speed on others. Our races are 3 miles, so both of these skills are extremely important.”
The boys’ team is also prepping for the racing season to begin. “The runners have been doing a lot of groundwork all summer in order to get ready for the tougher workouts,” explained junior David Lee.
“We usually follow a standard schedule of two workouts a week with recovery runs in between,” said Senior Will Taylor. “We also do a long run on Saturday.”
One of the large team events before racing begins is the intra-squad scrimmage. “We use it to help gain experience for the new runners.
They learn how to race while keeping stress low and have an opportunity to race,” said girl’s head coach John Burnside
The two mile race took place on August 27 and has been a tradition at New Trier for a long time. Lee said that “the intra-squad race is mostly to get a benchmark for the coaches to see where people rank.”
Cross country veterans do not always participate in the scrimmage due to the fact that the scrimmage is mainly for new runners to experience a real race. Veterans are given a choice between a normal practice day or the scrimmage.
“The race takes place on the south side of the Northfield campus and is as close to a real invite as possible,” said Burnside.
“The intra-squad challenge went very well,” shared Gunther. “Many people surprised themselves by accomplishing something they didn’t think was possible.”
Junior Matthew Burke placed first with a time of 10:28. Senior Oona Jung-Beeman finished first with a time of 12:00.
“The most important thing is for the girls to grow,” explained Burnside. “As a competitor, to improve as teammate and a community member.”
“The opportunities that [the team] always benefits from are the leadership [opportunities] and attitudes of the many kids and many personalities. The goal is to keep them together,” explained Burnside.
Runners must bond as a team but also push themselves so that their team has the ability to succeed. “The biggest challenge is not giving in to the thought of slowing down,” Taylor said. “You need to keep going and know that there’s always more left in you.”
“Our team does a great job of keeping spirits and motivation up throughout the season,” Gunther adds. “Cross country is so unique and special because everyone can and will improve during the season, both individually and as a team, and this feeling is so gratifying that it keeps our runners coming back for more.”
Practices are divided based on skill level so each contest will be with people at the same speed.
“We meet as team to do community exercise, and then we break apart into appropriate training group. A person can easily change groups,” said Burnside.
“This season, I’m looking forward to seeing just how each team member, regardless of ability, is able to improve and achieve personal and team goals throughout the next three months,” said Gunther.