Page 33 - Priorities #66- Winter 2017

As individual runners, the program has had a long history of success. Over the past seventeen years, Priory has sent at least one runner to the State Championships for sixteen of those years. The highest place finish in school history was Kat Gregory ’12 who placed third in 2011.
The culture of the cross country program has changed over the years. “When I first started, it was like pulling teeth trying to get kids to work hard,” Lai remarked. “Today, much of the culture is just driven by the kids themselves. Hard work is just expected.” Strong leadership by both the coaching staff and the veteran team members help to make the program run smoothly. “The new ones quickly learn from the older ones how we do things. I love it during conditioning and core work at the end of every practice because the captains lead it, and they do more than I would make the team do. I sit back and watch them pushing each other. It’s a beautiful thing,” said Lai.
Next season, the team will finally be able to train on a proper track. “Having a track helps you dial in your pace a lot and allows us to do intervals more consistently and with less rest. We could never do speedwork on the old ‘track’ because it was short, had 90 degree corners and uneven ground.” It will be interesting to see if the cross country team grows even larger next year with the lure of a new track. One thing is for sure, the cross country team is on a successful path and they are having fun doing it. “We have a very fun atmosphere and culture on the team. There’s a lot of hard work and a lot of laughter.”
The 2013 CCS Championship teams.
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Jack Nash ‘18 at the CCS Championships.
The 2012 team in Lake Tahoe during one of their annual team retreats.
SPORTS