LANCASTER, Ohio — Suppose I made a list of activities for teenagers that included a gigantic slip n’ slide, volleyball, trampoline park, Wii Just Dance, watching silly movies, playing basketball, making food for each other, bonfires, and overwhelming a new employee at the local Dairy Queen with an insanely large order (who happens to be a fellow teammate that thinks it’s funny). In that case, it’s safe to bet that many would not guess the next activity on the list would be running.

But running is next on the list, and it’s the main activity for these teens. I just described Fairfield Christian Academy’s annual summer camp and this year’s activities for their cross country team. Nearly every year since she has been the head coach, Beth Wilkinson has kicked off her team’s season with a group bonding experience. We caught up with her to discover the secret behind her team’s past success, coaching philosophy, and the importance of a team concept in cross country.

Q: Which years have your teams won the League, Regional, or qualified for State?
A: “Our program began in 2010 with two high school girls and five high school boys. By 2011, we had a girls team, and our girls won our league that year (Mid-Ohio Christain Athletic League – MOCAL). We would have won MOCAL in 2012, but there were not enough competing teams in our race to [award] it to us. I think we were the only complete girls’ team. Our girls’ team has won the Mid-State League (MSL) Cardinal Division since we joined the league in 2013, except last year (2020) – Fisher Catholic ended up beating us by 4 points. Our boys’ team won the league for four consecutive years (2013-2016). Our girls’ team has advanced to the Regional meet in 2012, 2015, 2017, and 2018. They qualified for State as a team in 2015 on a tie at the finish, with our 6th runner making the difference. Our boys’ team qualified for Regionals each year in 2012-2016. They missed qualifying for State by one place in 2014 and two places in 2015. A sense of team is at the core of Wilkinson’s beliefs, and she credits this to many of her team’s successes. Although, many don’t think of running as a team sport.”

Q: You mentioned that many people don’t understand the team concept; what strategies do you use to build camaraderie leading up to and throughout the season?
A: “A lot of people on the outside think that cross country is just an individual sport. I think if you don’t work [as] a team, that you won’t go too far and it will not be as good of an experience. I learned that from my college team, where it was more like a family. I try to encourage that kind of relationship with our team. I also like to try and have them play games most practices. Summer camp is our big event, it really helps the kids get in some summer runs while building on those relationships.”

Q: Obviously, camp kicks this process off for you; what is your goal going into camp?
A: “My main goal at camp is to have the kids get along. Our camp is always in the last week of June, and this year was a blast. It is a great thing when you overhear your team talking and asking why they don’t hang out more with each other outside of camp, because they have so much fun together. It really shows how it builds relationships.”

Q: Are there any team or runners who worked hard this summer for which you have high expectations or would like to see live up to their potential?
A: “Sometimes, it is hard to get runners motivated over the summer. We have our “200 Mile Club” during June and July to motivate them, while getting in some good base mileage so they’re ready to start their workouts in August. This year I had half of my boys’ team and a third of my girls’ team. However, I had two senior girls, Sophia Kumler and Sarah Alexander, that did an outstanding job getting the girls together this summer to run in the mornings. I had a few boys who would get together and run every morning to reach their goals – Spencer Vrana and Riley Johnson. Riley has been injured almost every season, so I’m excited to see what he does this year. He has potential as long as he doesn’t get injured. I’m also excited to see what my top runner, Kolin Brake, does this year. We have a strong freshman, Josiah Hildenbrand, coming in – he will help our boys team a lot. Our girls’ team has a lot of potential and a good chance of going far. They run pretty close as a pack, so I hope they work together well this year.”

Q: Being a smaller school and knowing that running long-distances can be difficult, what strategies do you use to keep kids engaged in the sport?
A: “My biggest strategy is communication. I walk the halls at school, always trying to get students to join sports, usually running and basketball, since I’m involved in coaching both. I also am not hardcore on mileage or running in general. I like to focus on having a fun, friendly, family atmosphere. We just have to run and get in our workouts first, and then we’ll feel better about ourselves, and then we can play.”

Q: Do you agree that a strong team learns to run for each other, and if so, how do you build those types of relationships?
A: “Yes, I agree. Being part of something bigger makes it harder to let others down. It’s easy to give up on yourself sometimes, but when you have each other there, it is easier to be pulled along. I really hope that we can run as a pack this year – I think our girls’ team really is capable of that. We have talked a lot over the past few years about how the goal out on the course is not to pass each other, but other teams. It is frowned upon to pass a teammate at the finish line if no other runners from other teams are around. Besides keeping it fun, building teamwork and relationships and engaging her athletes, Wilkinson also stresses the core values of Fairfield Christian Academy. “Being a Christian School, we still try to focus on things that are more important in life, that our sport can bring glory to God in the way in which we do it. We need to keep the focus on Him, and work for the glory of God; not depending on just our own understanding. We need to stay humble through our successes and our failures, and we need to carry that into all aspects of our lives. We learn so much about how to live through our sports.”

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