Huck Whittemore ’22 is a four-year senior, co-captain of Boys Varsity Cross Country, and runs long distance for Boys Varsity Track in the spring. Last spring, Whittemore won the Founders All-League Award for Track and he looks forward to continuing that success this season. Teammate Axel-Ryan Nzi ’24 said, “Huck makes sure to establish a good team culture. When we feel frustrated, he’s there to lift us up.”

What are your goals for this season?

Ever since a tough loss against Loomis my Prep year, my goal has been to lead this team to a Founders League title. I have been on the losing side of Loomis’s dominance of this league for three years in a row, and I am committed to finally breaking that streak and winning Hotchkiss the first league title in school history. Another team goal is to take on NMH at New Englands. We lost to them by three points earlier this year, so I want to lead my team back and take another shot at beating a very well-established [cross country] program. A few individual goals of mine are to win Founders, place high at New England’s, and do well in the Northeast Regional meet later in November.

What is your favorite part of running cross country?

My two favorite parts about [cross country] are definitely my teammates and the sense of fulfillment I find in constantly training and getting better.

What advice would you give to younger athletes here?

Find something you enjoy, and stick with it. Or even better, find some people you enjoy playing sports with, and your life will be much better. I would also advise younger athletes not to specialize and fixate on one sport too early, try as many as you can and see which ones make you the happiest. Having perspective is also key to athletics – don’t compare yourself to others, but rather focus on yourself and how much improvement you’ve made.

What is your favorite memory on the team?

Probably our pre-season each year. We run some gorgeous routes, and end the week with a run up Mt. Riga. I also have very fond memories of pool practice on Wednesdays. 

Has the pandemic changed the way you look at competing?

It has definitely given me some perspective on why I run. Being away from competition for basically a full year has made me appreciate the sport even more. Running helped me stay sane during the early stages of the pandemic, and as time wore on it gave me something to work towards every day because I looked forward to racing in person again.