The women's cross country team emphasizes the camaraderie within the cross country department. So when Coach Bill Lundberg offered to let me travel with the team to the Oct. 1 Notre Dame Invitational and witness this team solidarity, I jumped at the chance.
Armed with an umbrella, properly forewarned of the unwritten rule that it always rains at Notre Dame, and enjoying the feeling of liberation which can only come from missing classes, I climbed onto the cross country bus and from there watched the athletes sporting the Charger blue and white arrive from all different directions on campus.
"They're like a family," said freshman Elyse Rayburn. This was even more evident when the women's team, along with the men and the coaching staff, boarded the bus and over 30 pairs of eyes were riveted upon me with a look that said, I know that I know everyone on this team . who in the world are you?
The atmosphere of camaraderie strengthened as the bus rolled out of Hillsdale. They joked as the lunches prepared at the last-minute by SAGA were distributed and everyone laughed when Lundberg attached a Notre Dame leprechaun to the pole of the bus.
The athletes were also busy recording pre-race goals, game plans, and general feelings to prepare.
When we arrived at Notre Dame, the girls sprawled out on the grass and continued to laugh and joke amongst themselves.
"It's a fun team," said junior Heidi Johnson. "We all care about each other beyond just running."
However, the girls also realize their friendships are key to their success at the meets.
"It's so much easier to run with girls that you train with every day," junior Shannon Stanglewicz said.
As the start of the race approached, the girls warmed up together and participated in their traditional pre-race cheer. The Charger men gathered to cheer the ladies on.
I intended to follow Lundberg throughout the race, but I soon learned it was a physical impossibility.
From the moment the race began, he was everywhere, cheering the girls on. When the Charger women finished an impressive 3rd, he was beaming and vocal in his encouragements.
"That was a really nice pack, you guys," Stanglewicz congratulated her teammates.
"It's all for the team," Johnson said later. "You want to do well for [them]."
The girls continued to stay together throughout the day, cheering on the men, talking to each other, and starting pine cone wars with the coaches. That evening on the bus, Lundberg congratulated the ladies again on their unity.
The trip closed with a rousing rendition of Jingle Bell Rock given by Lundberg and one of his assistants as we waited for the Mean Girls DVD to play.
Listening to this, I reflected on the chemistry both on and off the track among the team members and the coaches of Hillsdale's cross country department and how much this solidarity showed in their success in their sport.
"It's something you love with the people you love," Johnson said.