‘Have enjoyable, and run laborious’: Mead women cross nation commits to ‘group’ facet in individualized sport

The Mead women cross nation group took third at state final season, a outstanding feat contemplating the Panthers didn’t have a runner end within the prime 20 – one among simply six of the 16 groups which certified for the group title not to take action.

But the unfold of Mead’s prime 5 finishers was 42 seconds, third solely to seventh-place Tahoma’s 23-second unfold and State 4A champion Issaquah at 30 seconds.

In a sport of particular person achievement, coach Dori Whitford preaches “team” above all else. Anything else, actually.

“There’s a huge team factor because if somebody’s not running well, I can’t substitute her. There’s no timeouts,” Whitford mentioned. “They have to do it (on the course). It hurts a lot to run, and it’s not really very fun, and it’s not that rewarding. Like, there aren’t fan clubs. They run for each other. They really, really do. I mean, it’s not like there’s not rivalries. We have a very close group of girls, time-wise, and that causes, you know, things sometimes. But they care about each other a lot.”

“We’ve definitely changed it from being an individual sport to a being a team sport,” senior Adrienne Holden mentioned. “We all just see each other as family in this sport and we all race for each other. When we’re out there, I know I definitely think about how I need to do better because my team is out here racing and they’re all doing the best they can.”

Asked if having that type of depth – and returning six of the seven student-athletes that ran at state – is a luxurious, Whitford was succinct.

“There’s no such thing (as depth),” she mentioned. “I mean, it’s a luxury to have nice kids.”

She reconsidered.

“Yeah, we have a luxury, but one injury…” she trailed off. “I mean, a luxury is having like what (Central Valley) used to have, where they had 100 girls out and they had lots of good ones fighting for (varsity).”

But Mead does have the posh of returning six of their seven state runners: Sophomore Claire Phillips (twenty fifth at state), her sister senior Ava Phillips (56th), and fellow seniors Avery Parker (thirty fifth), Holden (sixty fifth), Maddie Lane and Hannah Olson.

“We were all (ranked) in the top 30 or 40 or 50 or something like that,” heading into state, Whitford mentioned. “Any one among them could possibly be No. 1 on any given day. … I feel Claire (Phillips) was No. 1 at state. I feel she was just about No. 1 many of the second half of the season, however we had Addy (Chaffins), who some days was No. 1. We had Ava (Phillips) – any one among them might run No. 1.

“This is an incredible group, from first to – I don’t even know who is last is right now,” Whitford mentioned. “But an incredible group of kids.”

And to listen to the ladies inform it, they don’t actually care what order they end in from race to race.

It’s extra concerning the group’s unofficial mantra: “Have fun, and run hard,” Whitford mentioned.

“We set goals before races, so we’re thinking about those,” Ava Phillips confessed. “But often, it’s simply ‘How far can I push myself.’ “

Phillips performed “all the sports” as a youth, however began operating within the sixth grade and switched to it full-time her freshman yr.

“I found an environment that I loved and the girls here were super sweet. … Running, for me, is a stress reliever. It just feels good to get outside, move your legs, move your body and sweat.”

Ava’s youthful sister Claire mentioned “running is hard on your body,” however leans on teammates when she doesn’t really feel her finest. “We all just push each other to go as far as we can and encourage each other, no matter what.”

Parker has been operating since she was “seven or eight.” Older siblings had been aggressive runners and he or she joined in. “It’s been part of my life for so long. It’s just a big thing in my family, which is cool.”

Holden bought into operating by household, too. Her grandfather was a runner, and it’s a manner for her to remain linked to him.

“It’s just his personality,” Holden mentioned. “I did it partly because I wanted him to be able to watch me do it, but also partly because I just love this team. I love the girls on it and I’ve always been best friends with them.”

Lane began operating in “fourth or fifth grade” as a result of some household mates had been runners. “One time I just ran a mile with my friends, and I just fell in love with the sport and I’ve been running ever since.”

When the subject of targets for the season arose, Whitford was – as she usually is about this stuff – protecting of her student-athletes.

“I have hopes. I have hopes that they realize whatever their dreams are,” she mentioned.

“I’m not really zen, but we talk a lot about not being able to control things,” Whitford mentioned. “We control what we can control. We can’t control that you’re sick today, or we can’t control this or that. One of the girls had a thing last year that she couldn’t run until the day of districts. She couldn’t control that, and she ran really well. She just kind of relaxed and was like ‘I’m gonna do the best I can.’ So, yeah. Maybe I am kind of zen.”

There’s no actual secret behind the success the Mead’s women program has loved the previous few years, beginning with the State 3A title the Panthers introduced dwelling in 2021. Other than, you already know, “Have fun, and run hard.”

“It’s just good girls, really talented girls who also love each other,” Whitford mentioned. “I think liking each other is huge. I’ve had two good groups of girls come through, with that group that graduated a couple years ago, and they just loved to run.”

The Panthers are taking a visit to California later within the month to take part within the forty fifth annual Woodbridge Cross Country Classic Sept. 18-19, earlier than gearing up for league and districts afterward.

“We get to have a little bit of fun in Woodbridge, but everything after that, it’s a business trip,” Whitford mentioned. “We just take care of business, and we’re never, ever disappointed in anybody. They’re doing their best they can for that day. Relax and have fun and run for each other.”

And that time was pushed dwelling by every of the six runners.

“(Running) is a great way to hang out with these amazing girls,” Parker mentioned of her teammates. “I love this team. These are my best friends. We are super, super close and we’re just doing this for each other.”

Asked if she had any targets this yr, Parker replied, “Have fun. Do our best.”

Of course.

“I think it’s a really cool dynamic that we have in that on any day any of us could win,” Lane mentioned. “But I also feel like we don’t really focus on that. We all just know that we’re going to give our 100% every race, no matter what that looks like in that specific circumstance.”

“We don’t really have any big strategies,” Holden mentioned. “I think we all just focus on our race. Some of us will create race plans – where we’re gonna go a little harder, where we might go a little easier. But for the most part, we don’t really talk about that as a group. … We keep it pretty separate, other than just running for each other.”

“Sometimes we’ll work together to pass people,” Parker mentioned. “But we kind of don’t really try to think about that too hard.”

The “have fun” facet and group spirit may simplify, and doubtless undersells, the sheer quantity of effort every athlete on the group places forth to succeed – and that of their coach guiding them to that success.

But it’s a method Whitford, who retired from instructing in 2022 however continues on as women cross nation and monitor and subject coach, has used all through her vastly profitable profession – one that ought to finally see her inducted into a number of halls of fame.

“We work really hard. We had a quote on one of our shirts, I think it was 2020. It was ‘Choose hard,’ ” Whitford mentioned. “And so we ‘choose hard’ all the time. … I wish you could come to a hard workout day where they get excited about hard work, and then it just spreads to the ones that don’t like to run, and then they work hard. Every one of them does.”