Kicking off the season with a new team and new memories to make, cross country is ready to show who’s boss during this year’s league races. “We’ve had a lot of kids train really well all summer with tremendous improvement. We have had several incoming freshman girls and boys that have improved quite a bit. A lot of our freshmen and sophomores have improved a lot this year. Everybody is improving, and it’s very exciting ,” said cross country Coach, Bryon Hake. 

Although this year’s cross country team does not have the same amount of runners they did last year, they are prepared to take on each race with determination and hard work.

 Even if cross country feels like an individual sport, cheering for your teammates and sticking throughout the races makes cross country a team, “Our team is supportive and hardworking. Although we experience many ups and downs, we support each other by helping each and every one of us with the difficulties at hand. We have the utmost respect for each other. After all, cross country is a team sport,” said varsity runner, Hayden Luong. 

This year the cross country team held a fastback at Arroyo High School. Each team did an excellent job at placing high. Despite the intense heat, Arroyo’s cross-country team pushed themselves throughout the race “I think we did great in fastback, the weather was the only difficult part about it,” said Varsity runner, Johanna Zhou Zang.

Cross-country athletes grow a strong mentality when it comes to running every day and pushing through a 3-mile race. “Do it even if your mind tells you not to. For example, my mind tells me to go back to bed when I wake up for my 5 AM morning run. Building this discipline helps you in all aspects of your life. So by being able to create this sturdy habit, you will reciprocate this to your career.” said runner Hayden Luong 

The bond created within the cross country team is stronger than ever. Each individual cheers on their teammates and helps them throughout races. “I would recommend this sport because we really do have a bond between our team. We have some fun moments and also support each other if we’re going through a tough time. The teammates will always be there” said varsity runner Mandy Huong.