Team and Family

“The growth of the team and the ways we come together and connect over the course of the season determine our degree of success.  We take pride in our work, in the way we compete, but we realize these efforts for what they are, extensions of our love for the sport and most importantly, for our team.” – North Central team handbook

“A team beats an individual any day, but a family can beat even the strongest team.” – Al Carius

"Cross country is a lot like poker.  You have to beholding five good cards all the time." - Rollie Geiger, North Carolina State head coach

Cross country running offers a bit of a paradox.  Most regard it as an individual sport, and the individual man certainly has to run the race.  However, I truly believe that it is one of the greatest of all team sports.  How then do we focus on the improvement of the individual even as the ultimate goal is an expression of team?  Building a strong team is not the easiest thing to do in a sport where so may are seduced by the siren call of individual success.  At times a great runner has to sacrifice some of himself to secure the success of his team.  Sometimes people need to run hurt or tired for the team.  The tough thing for each of us is to balance our own individual needs with the needs of the team.  When the athletes and coaches truly believe in each other and truly care for each other, then the energy generated enables each athlete to surpass what he can do individually.  By giving to the team, you get back more in return.  You will become a better athlete by investing in the team than you ever would just caring about yourself.

One of the most important concepts in building a great team is caring.  Runners will not go to the wall for each other unless they genuinely care about the well-being of each other and the team as a whole.  Some may regard caring as a bit too “touchy-feely” or emotional for athletics.  I disagree wholeheartedly.  At Palatine our ability to care about each other is the most important thing that binds us together.  There has to be an emotional connection to what each of us is doing in relation to the team.  Teammates have to care about their own individual workouts, and they must demonstrate their toughness and commitment to each other.  Caring for each other helps us build the trust that is so crucial to team success.  When one athlete sees that his commitment to improving is as deep as his teammate’s commitment, then he will stay motivated and be willing to put in the hard work.  The teams that fail are those that are a collection of “lone ranger” type guys.  These guys train by themselves and race for themselves.  Their teammates feel no connection to them, and the team never fulfills its potential.

At Palatine, we preach the importance of the “pack.”  It is our goal to move as a unit, to run together, and to make sacrifices together.  The pack mentality allows each of us to feed off of our teammates.  We often like to say that packing allows the individual runner to feed off of the energy of his teammates.  Physically, it is a bit hard to actually get this energy.  Sometimes I wish a friend could just hand some energy over when I’m becoming fatigued!  What I’m really talking about with this “energy” though is expectations.  When you run with teammates, you constantly have to face their expectations.  There is nowhere to hide.  They are all around you.  Will you be the one to breakdown first?  Will you be the one to quit on the team?  Running together in the pack puts you face to face with your team.  It is much easier to quit on yourself than to quit on other people that you care about.  Your teammates are a tangible reminder of the expectations that the team has created.  Runners who go it alone have only their own expectations to meet.  Runners who work together have to meet each others’ expectations.  The process of running together makes each of us stronger.  It feeds our will to perform at our highest level and reminds us of the pride that can be gained by coming through when others count on you.  The pack is our strength.

For me the cross country “pack” of guys has always felt a lot like family.  We surely spend enough time together that it starts to feel like family!  This feeling of family is the highest expression of a great team atmosphere.  A powerful sense of brotherhood starts to develop when athletes endure common amounts of pain and work.  A family distinguishes itself by its ability to deal with adversity and discomfort.  When things are tough and life is not going well, people always draw on their family for strength.  Each of us knows that our family members will stand by us through thick and thin.  Good teams are a lot like a family.  They go through good times and bad times together, and they care about each other both during and after practice.  The athletes carry around a common respect for each other, a common awareness that they have won a certain closeness.  Athletes on a great team know that they can call on each other for support.  They both trust and care for each other, and that is not a “touchy-feely” thing that we should be afraid of.  The feeling generated for each other is genuine.  That feeling is the essence of what we do.  Too often we live in a world filled with apathy and disconnection.  People are willing to run 40, 50, 60 miles a week in order to be part of our team.  Do you think it is because they love the pain of running?  No.  They do it because the brotherhood we have developed is genuine, and the power of the team is real.  Good people realize that the Palatine cross country team is a place where they can come to draw the best out of themselves.  To draw the best out of yourself and share it with someone else is one of the most genuine things you can do.  If we all come together as a family, a family of rabid-running fools, then we can achieve anything we set our minds to.

A Quick Story: