Eastlake High School invited us to a hill repeat workout called Big Beavs at Beaver Lake Park in Sammamish, WA which is east of Seattle. Coach Troy Anderson has enjoyed great success at Eastlake. In the 2022 cross country season, Eastlake boys finished second in the 4A Washington State Cross Country State Meet and the girls finished fourth in the State Meet.
Special thanks to Adam Bumgardner for the excellent photos!
We asked Coach Anderson about their summer practice.
What was the practice schedule during the summer?
As a team we have an official Summer XC program from the end of school until Aug 1st. The team meets five days a week. In August the Captains coordinate workouts until Fall XC starts on Aug 21st.
What were some of the summer team highlights?
Some team summer highlights were the Fenrir 50K Relay which is an Eastlake XC annual tradition where we work together in teams of 6-7 people. Another was is our Tunnel Run at Snoqualmie Pass. It was a very unique experience where we got to go running in complete darkness with only flashlights as a light source.
How does Eastlake build a team culture?
Eastlake XC builds a team culture by not only running together but growing together. A lot of people view cross country as an individual sport but a big part of the EHS XC team culture is embracing the team aspect a lot more. We support each other on and off the cross country course. Through team bondings, pasta feeds, long conversational distance runs and travel shenanigans we’ve become a very tight knit team. Irrespective of your running ability and experience everyone is welcome on the team as long as they’re willing to run and have fun!
What are some traditions that Eastlake participates in during the season?
Shout outs after races are one of my favorite Eastlake cross country traditions! Getting to highlight your teammates accomplishments and hear about how people persevered through a race or some awesome PRs is always super fun. Another thing that we do every year is the ‘Week of Pain’, which is a week where we push ourselves harder then any other week of the season both mentally and physically to get us ready to race our best during the season. The team also travels to Seaside for the 3-Course Challenge. This over night invite really bonds the team.
Photo gallery of practice is HERE
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