The Cross Country team this season is the smallest they have been in the last 10 years, and while the team has not performed amazingly as a whole (placing in the bottom half in most tournaments), they are focused on building their team up, improving themselves personally, and bonding together as a team.
Arsheen Pancar, one of the captains of the Cross Country team stated that “This season we put a bigger focus on individual improvement, on personal pros rather than a focus on team standings”.
The Cross team is also famous for their team events as well. “We’ve been continuing the traditional events we have always held. For example, a team beach day, movie night, carbo load before MVALS, ncs dinner, numerous invitationals, and our annual banquet” Pancar listed.
These events are a great bonding experience for team members. One JV Cross Country member, Antara Raj(10), commented that “This year I was really able to bond with my teammates more and I really enjoyed the movie night. Everyone just comes together and we watch the scariest movie we can pick, and overall it’s really fun”.
According to Vincent Le(10), a JV Cross Country member, “There was always one of us complaining about the workouts, and the one cheering us on for getting the hardest workout. And it was just, it was very fun.”
This was also a special year for the whole Cross Country team because it was David Thompson’s, the Cross Country coach, last year coaching for Irvington. “We’re sad to see our coach go, but hopefully we’ll see him again” Vincent bemoaned.
Therefore another big part of this season was dedicated toward preparing the team for the coach’s departure. Pancar explained that “I wanted to take the time to make sure everyone knew about all our team traditions, especially because they will have a new coach next season.”
Despite all the challenges they have faced, the athletes have still significantly improved individually over this year. “I think I definitely improved on my mental mindset, because when you are out there, running five, six, and sometimes seven miles straight, no breaks, no water, it can get tough, and I think I significantly improved,” explained Le.
The team has realized that their small numbers have not been beneficial to the team as they have not been able to participate in many events. Arsheen explained that “We can’t compete in pretty much most of the events. For many races, we didn’t have a full varsity girls team and so could not score and there’s not much we can do since the time to recruit new runners has passed. At this point the most important thing to do is listen to your body and not push too hard through injuries, to a point where it will put your next race at risk” she added.
This season has been especially tough because of how injury prone the team has been., as injuries and illnesses have plagued the team throughout the year. Le elucidated how team members Aashish Rajakumar(10), Kate Branch(10), as well much of the rest of the team have not been able to compete in some of the track meets due to injuries.
The team may have been small this season, but they have bonded well with each other, and are excited for the next season, where they hope to get new members. Le stated, “I’m excited to see how everyone will improve and I’m excited to see a lot more changes for the better”, something that will hopefully come true.
