This summer, from July 21 to July 28, the MVHS cross country team trained in Mammoth Lakes, a town almost eight thousand feet above sea level located in the Sierra Nevada mountains. The 23 athletes were a mix of grade levels, chosen based on their commitment to the team, senior Rory Olsen said.
“We try to invite them and bring them into the team culture,” senior Olsen said.
Although the team only began training in Mammoth last year, the trip is intended to become an annual event to benefit the team both physically and mentally, Olsen and senior Kiran Haywood said.
“One thing is, it’s good training. It’s at elevation,” Haywood said. “But the bigger thing is, it’s a lot of team building.”
Coach Jonathan Hubbs handled all logistics, including booking condos, renting cars, and organizing meals. Additionally, Hubbs recruited parents to assist with managing the cross country team.
“Last year we had the athletes prepare meals on their own, and we realized that a lot of them weren’t really good at that,” Hubbs said. “This year, we had parents actually make breakfast while they were on their morning run.”
A challenge during the trip was rainy weather, which forced some activities to be rescheduled, Hubbs said.
The trip’s training included two activities per day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Along with running and hiking, athletes also participated in light-hearted activities like scavenger hunts.
“Some of the things we had to find, like someone skateboarding in the middle of the inclined village,” Olsen said. “It was hard to just try to stop them.”
Other activities included swimming, card games and making team-cooked meals. Additionally, the trip involved ‘clinics,’ where athletes came together to discuss team-related topics, strengthening the bond among teammates.
“One of the most important things is having everyone on the same page,” Haywood said. “Everyone needs to know that when they’re training, they’re training for the same thing.”
Both Hubbs and the athletes said the trip was beneficial for the team. Haywood said that the experience helped him open up to his teammates, and Olsen said the trip helped him understand his teammates better.
“We saw a lot of personal records being broken, which some of them attributed to the Mammoth trip. Everyone said they felt more fit after coming back,” Hubbs said. “The team dynamic in general has improved.”
In the future, the goal for the team is to win the CCS cross country championship and beat Bellarmine, as well as to qualify for the state championships, Olsen said.
“I can’t wait to start racing and seeing if the training really helped, and see how fast we are,” Haywood said. “I really hope to see us winning some stuff.”