The preseason for the Oxford Varsity Wildcats Cross Country teams begins with a four-hour car ride north with family and friends to Crystal Lake.
Once there, the members of the boys and girls varsity teams compete against each other in mini-golf and cherry-pit spitting contests, all in the name of team building.
In the midst of the fun, there is one element to get the athletes ready for the upcoming season: the Crystal Lake team marathon that both the parents and kids take part in.
‘Relationships,? coach Sutherland said. ‘It’s very important that the team supports other runners. If you had a good day, you help the other runners who didn’t. Learning from one runner to another is passed on year after year.?
It is that relationship that Coach Sutherland looks to build upon as the teams gear up for another season in the Flint Metro League.
Both Wildcat teams look to improve on a season that saw both the boys and the girls finish in sixth place in the FML.
‘Were not one of the big favorites, but will be fine,? said Coach Sutherland. ‘We’ll be middle of the pack. Hopefully above middle of the pack.?
Last year’s regional efforts look to be the springboard to a successful season for the Wildcats. Out of the 14 runners that competed in regionals, all 14 posted personal bests.
It is that optimism that gives Coach Sutherland and his team the confidence that they could finish towards the top middle of the pack this upcoming season.
‘Were very optimistic about the season. The boys team is very young and we have a nice mixture, a few seniors.
One improvement that Coach Sutherland wants to make is getting more quality miles out of his team. He wants to keep pushing and asking more out of them this year. He is optimistic about a number of runners on both the boys and girls teams.
Two of those runners for the boys would be team Captains Erik Joergen and Dylan Smith.
‘Our captains are doing a real nice job, I’m very pleased with them,? Sutherland said.
Another runner that Sutherland looks to help the team is Senior Alex Pollack.
‘Pollack looks to be our number one runner right now. He is running real well,? said Sutherland.
On the girls varsity team, Coach Sutherland looks to Captain’s Megan and Shannon Seeley and Kate Wolanin to provide leadership for the younger girls.
‘It feels different to be captain because every one looks up to me,? said Wolanin. ‘I feel pretty proud to be one.
For Coach Sutherland, being a captain is not something he takes lightly. He hand picks each captain based on how well they do in the classroom, their leadership abilities, and how diligent they are.
‘They have to be a very strong student, a very strong leader, very diligent to being a good person, a good family, good schoolwork, then they have to be a good runner? he said.
Sutherland looks to his captains to help provide the necessary leadership to help them remain consistent throughout the season.
One of the keys to the season is going to be how well the team preforms meet-to-meet.
‘We look for steady progression. We are notorious for having one of our best runs in one of the last two races of the year,? said Sutherland.
‘We don’t want to see a big jump up to a fast time and then back off for two weeks. We look for a steady progression right up through a whole year and all our practices and the way we run our meets are all based on finishing the year with your best ability and best effort,? he said.
Another reason that Sutherland is looking forward to this season is the amount of young talent that is on the team this year.
‘We have a nice mix both boys and girls teams. We should have two, possibly three freshman, two possibly three sophomores, juniors and seniors in the top seven or eight. We aren’t a Senior laden team.?
Sutherland noted that freshmen Ashley Burr, Brooke Kovacic, Ross Chapman and Ryan Gillespie looked like they could start in the top five at the beginning of the season.
‘The big thing we have is great character, great kids, great student athletes. Our grade points are usually between 3.4 and 3.6 for our team. Very good kids, they work very hard? said Sutherland.
It is that work ethic that Coach Sutherland hopes will propel his team forward during the season.