At Hackley, cross country is not just about shaving seconds off your personal best; it’s about building a community. Hackley’s Cross Country captains, Emma Curran, Nico Kim, Brandon Acosta, and Sophie Frazier, work hard to make an individual sport feel connected and inclusive. Due to an influx of freshmen this year, the cross-country captains make inclusion a focal point as team leaders. As much as cross-country is about individual performance, the team focuses on positivity to uplift one another.
One of the more memorable moments from this season is the Tarrytown scavenger hunt that the team participated in during preseason. Brandon Acosta considers the scavenger hunt his favorite part of the season, saying it was an opportunity for him to be more connected with the team, especially the younger or new members.
Acosta says the “main point is to have fun during the summer and grow relationships within the team.”
The scavenger hunt isn’t the only fun activity the cross-country team participates in. All these activities throughout the season keep the interest and excitement for future competitions.
“We have team dinners on Friday nights at El Dorado diner, we have a carboloading party, which is a big dinner before the Ivy championship with the whole team, where we eat pasta, bread, and meats. We did a scavenger hunt, and we’ll do dress-ups and goodie bags,” said Emma Curran.
Similar to other Hackley sports, cross country has pregame rituals that bring the team together and boost team spirit. Curran described that sometimes the team will listen to music before races, but their “biggest thing is ‘on the line’”.
“On the line is when the whole team gets in a huddle and motivates one another using phrases like we’ve prepared for this, we’re strong, we got this. Very positive,” said Curran.
The captains attempt to foster a team that supports and motivates each other by bringing the group together and getting them in the right mindset to compete to the best of their ability.
“The biggest focus for the Cross Country team captains is to make the freshmen feel like they are included and have a voice. There has been a major influx of freshmen this year, and the team now has an even number of freshmen and the rest of the team,” said Curran.
Most of the freshmen are not only new to the team but also new to the school. Making them feel welcome helps the team’s performance as well as their academic performance if they know they have teammates around the school.
The Hackley Cross Country Captains show that leadership, inclusion, and fun can turn an individual sport into a supportive team project. Working together can raise both players’ enjoyment and the team’s success, using support as fuel.
