After two years of COVID disrupted seasons, Wildcats cross country is back for their best – and biggest – year yet. The team’s total amounts to over sixty athletes and its unique dynamic allows for runners of various experience and skill level to train together. The team does not distinguish between Varsity and Junior Varsity until the end of the season, creating opportunities for students to work from August to November towards being in the top seven athletes for their respective gender, guaranteeing them a spot on the varsity squad. Another aspect of the cross country team that differs from other sports on campus is that the boys and girls teams practice as one, creating opportunities for improvement on all ends of the spectrum. “We have the largest team we have ever had in our history,” said longtime coach, Ethan White. “It is a little intimidating at times and can be frustrating with the lack of space that we have, but we have been pretty creative in trying to find a variety of different venues where we can practice and run and do the kinds of workouts we need to do in order to be successful.”

With six captains in total – three girls and three boys – the team leaders are at the forefront of this season. “I am most excited about the leadership we have,” White said. “We have an awesome group of seniors who have a lot of experience, and since they were freshmen […] I knew how great they would be as leaders.” 

With limited practice space, much of the team’s workouts consist of making the most out of the resources available to them. On mileage days, the athletes can typically be found running long loops around the RCDS campus or through the town of Rye, the team’s veterans sometimes making it all the way up to the Marshlands before turning around and heading back. When the fields are available, the team often participates in workouts to increase speed and endurance including sprints and interval training. 

The school has worked to create opportunities to train off campus as well. “Our home away from home is Edith Read Sanctuary next to Playland,” White said. Here, athletes run along the Long Island Sound and through the woods, having the chance to take in the scenery whilst getting their mileage in. “We are hoping that we are going to get to use Crawford Park in Rye Brook. We have done that in years past and they have a great grassy hill that we can train on.” The team has also taken advantage of local elevation and used the hill at Rye Nature Center to gain strength and practice for some of the hillier courses at which they will be competing.

Typically, the majority of the team’s meets are held at the relatively flat and grassy Sherwood Island Park, located in Westport, Connecticut. Though many of the meets will take place there, a few added courses will be sure to make the races more challenging. The team will not only be competing in the Fairchester Athletic League (FAA) but will also be racing alongside the Ivy League which is composed of primarily preparatory schools located in New York City who are also members of the NYSAIS Athletic League. While the FAA meets are typically held at Sherwood, the Ivy League meets take place at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, coincidentally the same location as the NYSAIS Championships each November. This course begins with a mile long grassy loop before athletes descend into the steep rolling hills referred to as “the back hills,” for the final two miles before finishing close to where they started. 

With a team made up of primarily underclassmen, Coach White shares his hopes for the newcomers. “My biggest goal for this season, and this is always true every year for the new runners, is to make them feel welcome and to get them excited to run. Sometimes that can be a tall ask, and it is made that much easier when you have upperclassmen who share excitement for the sport.”