After over a year of shortened training schedules and socially distanced meets, the AHC Cross Country team has been able to start the new season strong with regular practices, and meets at Georgetown Prep, Centennial High School, and Landon.

Practices were able to begin in late August, and now take place every day of the school week, which has helped the athletes to feel a new sense of normalcy with the season.

“Now that the school year is somewhat back to normal, that sense of regularity helps me focus, and now we have more time for practices which helps the team improve,” sophomore Elena Sunderman said. 

With covid regulations being less stringent than they were last year, the team has been able to put together lots of team bonding activities, such as running to Chipotle, tie dying t-shirts, having pasta dinners and even a water balloon fight. 

The most important change is partaking in some of the many meets happening around the county. The team attended The WoodWard Relays, the Eagle Invite, and the Landon Invitational, placing first in the Vartisy A WCAC women’s conference for Landon.

The team experience has definitely been one of the things the group has missed the most.  

 “I really enjoy the runs outside of the school because they’re super fun and we get to talk as a team, and listen to music and run to new places,” sophomore Alessandra Aguila related. 

The coach of the AHC cross country team, Carlos Pla, has been looking forward to returning to this normal season just as much as the girls, as well as the improvement, teamwork, and achievement of the whole team.

 “Every runner plays the same time, runs the same course, and runs together as a team,” Pla explained. 

Pla shared that cross country is such an amazing sport, and how his main goals for the season were for the girls, “to grow together, and push each other, and to just enjoy each others’ company.”