We met with South Medford High School at the Britt Woods Trail in historic Jacksonville, Oregon. Jacksonville is located in the Siskiyou Mountain foothills in the Rogue River Valley of southern Oregon. The town has late 1800 architecture and is known for the famous Britt Music & Art Festival. In fact, the path the team ran on started next to the outdoor theater.
South Medford competes in Oregon's 6A division and is coached by Josh Wallace. The team is scheduled in the next to complete a hike of nearby Mount McLoughlin and later go to a team camp on the Oregon Coast in Florence, Oregon. Today's run was an easy day on the Britt Trail. Coach Wallace shared information about the team:
During the summer season, how often does the team practice?
We meet three days a week during the summer.
General Description:
Monday (Power/Tempo Run) on the Bear Creek Greenway/Bike Path
Wednesday (Gehenna A.K.A. Hill Climb) at Jacksonville Forest Park trail system
Saturday (Capillary Run/Long Run) on Sterling Mine Ditch Trail
What are some special summer activities?
Two big summer activities:
Mammoth Mountain Lakes Camp. This was a 7 day high altitude camp (July 21-27) for runners who were following the training plan, at least mostly, based upon their experience level.
SMXC Camp. This camp is for everyone from the most experienced to the brand new. On the first day we climb Mt McLoughlin and then we spend days 2-4 at the coast. Camping, running, eating, fireside chats, ultimate frisbee on the beach, etc..
How do you build team culture?
The camps help with team culture. We also do chocolate mile after some runs which is fun and tasty. After our workouts we "clap it in" and then each athlete goes to each coach to get a fist bump and "good job" from each coach. Most importantly we, the coaches, say each athletes name as we give them a fist bump. It's just a quick interaction but we want them to know that we see and know them, and appreciate their presence and effort even if we were able to run next to them or have a chat with them on that particular day. The night before most races, we have a team dinner hosted by a family of one of our runners. It's usually the upperclassmen who want to host.
What are some events that the team is looking forward to in the fall season?
We are looking forward to racing! We have a good, dedicated group that has been working hard this summer so we are excited to see the results of their effort. We are looking forward to seeing personal improvements and most importantly team improvements. We are looking forward to seeing our athletes mature as individuals, overcome challenges and work hard for the team. We are also looking forward to laughing a lot and having fun and the big goal is to get back to state as team.
Click HERE to view and download photos from South Medford's practice.
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