We met with Valley Catholic at their campus in Beaverton, Oregon. The plan for the day is to run to the nearby Hollister Trail on the Nike Campus for a team relay. The Hollister Trail is a 1.5 mile loop in a forest. Some athletes were to run the entire loop and others run a shorter one mile loop. Valley Catholic alumni showed up today to participate in annual relay event.
Head coaches Ian Berge and Jeremy Grondin lead the Valley Catholic Valiants and last year both teams qualified for the 3A Oregon Meet State Championships. The boys won the state title in the 3A division last fall. Here is information about the Valley Catholic program:
During the summer season, how often does the team practice?
-The Girls XC team meets 3 times a week. We meet Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Two of the days we will just run from school to the local areas that are available to us (Nature Park, Hollister Trail, Powerlines Trail). One day a week we'll take the Valley Catholic bus to do a trail run. We have done runs at Washington Park, Forest Park, Cooper Mountain, and Chehalem Ridge.
-The Boys XC team meets 4 times a week. We meet Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday at Valley Catholic to run our normal routes from school, and then Friday is our trail run day where we meet at a different trailhead in Portland each week. This week we will be running on the Wildwood Trail in Forest Park and next Friday we will run at Washington Park.
What are some special summer activities?
-We kicked off our summer training with a Valley Catholic Cross Country "mini-camp". This was open to all runners including incoming freshmen. It was a 2-day camp and each day we did a trail run, lunch, and games/activities in the afternoon. It was a fun way to get started and get the new kids involved.
-We host a youth XC camp for grades 2-8 in the first week of August. Many of our high school runners serve as camp counselors for this camp.
-We do a Varsity Team Camp the week before the official start of practice in August. It is a day camp where we meet at school, but then we drive the school mini-buses out for a day-long road trip each day. We try to check out a different area of Oregon each day. So we do one day in the Gorge, one day at Timothy Lake by Mount Hood, and one day on the Coast. Each day we do a trail run, eat lunch, and then do a hike in the afternoon before heading back to Beaverton. On the last day we do an intrasquad relay race. We always have a group of alums who come back and compete as an alumni team in the relay.
How do you build team culture?
-As coaches our main role is to provide a framework or structure, and then make sure to set a positive example. I really emphasize in communicating in person and in weekly updates being positive and supportive of all of the runners - from the top kids to the beginners. When the kids see the coaches doing this, they are more likely to emulate it, and the group has done a great job with this. They celebrate each other at the end of regular runs, workouts, and races. One thing that I added in when I took over as the head coach a couple years ago was that every practice ends with the girls sharing one positive thing from that days' practice or meet. The other thing is that our older girls always do a great job of stepping into leadership roles. They lead the warm up, drills, and set the tone on bus rides and during stretching circles. In between all of that running, they do a great job forming relationships which will carry forward into the season and beyond.
-I think as coaches our main role is to provide a framework or structure, and then the kids are the ones who really create the culture within that framework. We give them opportunities to meet and run with each other, but then the kids have to decide to make the most of those opportunities. This group has really embraced that and been super consistent about running together this summer. Our older guys do a great job of being positive and including the newcomers. And once they're running together and getting to know each other and having fun, I think the culture just naturally develops. They have a lot of time on runs, bus rides, and before and after practice to start forming those friendships which will carry forward into the season and beyond. As a coach it's very rewarding to see that team chemistry start to develop in the summer.
What are some events that the team is looking forward to in the fall season?
-Our girls are pretty excited for a few opportunities this fall. We'll be returning to a couple of meets from last year (Meriwether, Champs, and Champoeg), and then returning to some meets that will be new for this group (Night Meet, Saxon, Northwest Classic). The varsity group will also get a travel meet to mimic the routine of the State meet (John Payne Invite), and they always have a lot of fun on that trip!
-The boys had a really successful season last year, but this is a pretty new group since we graduated quite a few runners from last year. I think it's super exciting that we have a lot of guys who are excited to step up and contribute in a new way. These guys get to turn the page and write their own chapter in the story of Valley Catholic Cross Country this season, which is a really cool opportunity.
We are a team-first program and I think our guys embrace that and are excited to see how they can help each other to get better throughout the season.
Our kids typically get excited to run against the best competition from all classifications during the regular season. We'll be racing at Meriwether, the Northwest Classic, and Champoeg......we'll also do one overnight trip to race at the John Payne Invite at Chambers Bay in Tacoma. We believe these meets help prepare us for Districts and State.
Most of all, we're looking forward to having fun and making some great memories this season!
We spoke to some of the athletes on the team about their summer and the upcoming season.
Peter Davis: Highlight of the summer is the cross camp. It is a good time to bond with the team and get ready for official training, everyday practice and getting back into the grind for cross country season. We started off with camp in the Columbia Gorge, ran on the highway and hiked the Punchbowl Falls hike. The second day we went the Oregon Coast and we did the Fort to Sea Trail run. That is definitely one of my favorites. Yesterday we went to Timothy Lakes and ran around the lake.
I am looking forward to getting back into the season and enjoying my last season. I want to try to make the most of it. See what we can do again coming off a great season last season with a state championship. I am looking forward to post season races as well.
Ayman Tazo: I would say the cross country camp and also the youth cross country camp. It was really fun getting to see the little kids get excited about running. We shared some great memories together. When I was a kid, I would have loved doing something like that.
For me this season it would probably be another "Blue Wave." Both the girls and boys JV and varsity won everything at districts. It was amazing and felt great!
Lorelei Schaal: I had a great time bonding with all of my teammates and the nature has been absolutely beautiful. It is a fun way to exercise and grow in friendships. I found cross country by my brother and cousins run cross country and my friends run too. It is a lot of fun!
Click HERE to view and download pictures from Valley Catholic's practice!
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