Running trails, mountains, and races: These are only a few things that cross country does as team.

Teamwork is very important for any team to succeed, especially cross country. “Being beside people who support me really helps,” said senior cross country runner Emily Alves.

The first saturday of the team’s season, the team goes to Northampton for dinner after they run up Skinner Mountain. The team also has events such as “pasta parties” before every meet, and “this year we started a tradition of a team sleepover with all 29 girls on our team” to help the team bond.

“It’s a really positive environment and we act like family,” said Alves. “We spend a lot of time talking on our runs so we have become close.”

According to Alves, there are various skill levels among runners on the team.

Obviously some runners are faster than others on the team. With strong teamwork, the “faster” runners can help push and inspire the younger or slower runners.

“We all want each other to do well in races no matter what skill level a girl is.”