Vista Del Lago Summer Practice

View the photo gallery of the practice HERE

Watch the athlete interviews HERE

We visited the Vista Del Lago, home of the Eagles, at their summer practice at a park not far from their high school. The park leads to trails for an easy day of running. Vista Del Lago High School is located in Folsom, California which is north east of Sacramento. The team had just returned from their team camp at nearby Folsom Lake. Assistant coaches Mark Armstrong and Jeff Jerwers led the practice while head coach Dan West was on vacation.

Coach Armstrong answered our questions about the program:

When does the team practice in the summer?

The team has a program for six of every seven days in the summer, with one day being a rest day.  Three days are with the coaches, and three days the kids run alone or organize their own practices to do the work we gave them.  Usually, most of them meet up together.  Every practice is in the morning.  

What are some summer activities?

Our big event in the summer is a team summer camp, which actually just happened this past week and weekend.  We mix in our runs with some fun night activities.  So the first night we did a dinner and games at a park, the next night we did a photo scavenger hunt run and a pool party, the next night we did a trail run by Folsom Lake and then went out on some families' boats, and the last night was an overnight campout on Folsom Lake.  We also sometimes have parent potlucks in the summer, and the kids often meet up on their own to just hang out or play other sports.  

What are some of the season highlights in the fall?

The kids love when we get to time trials in the early fall.  It's always fun to get the first invitational under our belts, the Rocklin Soiree at SWRA.  Another favorite one is the Kim Duyst Invitational at night.  And of course, the kids all look forward to the Clovis Invitational.  Our league meets are always a big deal as well.  Sub sections at Frog Town and Sections at Willow Hills are the big lead up to hopefully making the State Championship, which both boys and girls teams did last year, and we hope to repeat that feat this year.  

How do you build team culture?

Team culture is built by having fun together, getting to know one another, and making everyone realize that XC is truly a team sport.  We incorporate fun runs throughout the season during practices, when the kids need them and to mix things up.  We have done a photo scavenger hunt, a watchless mile, and a Halloween dress up run, to name a few.  We'll do spirit days and sometimes do treats after practice.  We also have multiple team dinners hosted by different families during the season.  And often times the best bonding is spontaneous, when everyone goes out to eat together after a meet, or when the kids organize things for themselves.