The emphasis of Westminster’s cross country program is twofold: rigor (training, competing) and growing together as a team. Though cross country has a reputation for being an “individual sport,” as a program, runners cultivate a team-first mentality that suffuses everything team members do — from training runs to pasta parties to races.

 

The girls typically compete in a nine-meet schedule, which includes five large scrimmages and invitational meets against many of the traditional powerhouse teams in New England.

 

The approach is to coach the whole athlete, so girls are given individual training plans (when appropriate) and spend time working on the fundamentals that support and strengthen what they do on the course. This might include yoga, nutrition talks, team-building, circuit training, deep-water running and mental skills training. Additionally, the girls have had the opportunity to hear from professional runners in the past — through Zoom or in-person meetings — to learn about the sport from those at the top of their game.

 

The girls’ team trains both on campus and in the Simsbury area, using the many local parks for longer training runs. Westminster is blessed with hundreds of miles of trails within 15 minutes of campus, allowing runners to experience a variety of terrain and outdoor beauty during training runs.

 

During home competitions, the team races on a 5 km (3.1 mile) course on campus which incorporates a long section of spectator viewing as well as a challenging section in the woods of the school’s 200-acre campus. Off the trails, the team makes extensive use of the school’s weight room and other facilities to complement the running program.