The Founder’s League Championship, hosted by Taft this year, is fast approaching for the Girls Cross Country team. 

The team battled both inclement weather and injuries during the first half of the season. Only about half of the runners were present at a meet hosted by Loomis Chaffee School on Saturday, October 6, in which the team also competed against Taft and Northfield Mount Herman. “Injury is definitely our biggest challenge this season,” said Head Coach Anna Friedman. “We are hoping that [the team] continues to heal and that we will have stronger numbers for our last few meets.”

This season, the team consists of many lowerclass students who have replaced graduated members. Although the team is relatively young, it is already looking to tackle the Founder’s League Championship on Saturday, November 3. 

Last year, the girls enjoyed a successful season, placing second out of nine at Founder’s and winning against Berkshire, Loomis, and Taft. They have yet to attend the New England Championships, which will take place on Taft Day.

The team hopes its training schedule will help prepare it for Founder’s. Depending on the type of course for the next meet, the girls will run in small groups for short bursts on hilly or flat terrain. Although cross country is often considered an “individual” sport, it requires team effort. The girls rely on one another for support and motivation, and warm-ups and cooldowns are always a group effort. Lucy Haswell ’20 said, “A major goal of the team is [not only] for individuals to improve, but also to use each other and run in packs to help each other keep the pace.”

Ultimately, the team strives to make each performance better than the last. Coach Friedman said, “We want all of our runners to feel confident in their performances and to know that they gave it their all after each race.”