Team bonding is an important factor in the cross country team’s minds. The FHN cross country team holds bonding sessions before meets as a way to join together and build strong team spirit and relationships.

“I do legitimately think that it helps [bond the team],” junior Sam Adams said. “I mean we get everybody together, we eat some dinner together and talk about other team stuff.” 

These bonding sessions come in many different forms, whether it’s a dinner before the meet or an annual Hibachi trip. The team gets together usually a couple of days before the meet, most frequently at Olive Garden or Pasta House, to interact in a more relaxed setting. It gives the runners a chance to hangout in times not restricted to practice.

“I just think it’s fun, the sort of just silly things that we’ll do,” Adams said. “We go on a little adventure.”

The tradition of team bonding sessions is not a new tradition to the cross country team. It is a timeless tradition that has been passed down through past years and will continue to be passed on to teams to come. Head Coach Kimberly Martin has been at FHN for seven years and she says that it’s been a tradition since before then.

“I think it helps athletes bond together, especially if they weren’t originally friends before they joined the team and they may not have known each other,” Martin said. “So, it kind of helps them get to know each other in a kind of more chill setting where it’s not just the athletic setting.”