Captains of the Week: Cross Country

By ERIN HAN and SOPHIE ZHU

On Saturday, Sept. 28The tension thickens the air as runners steady themselves at the white line etched in the grass.  They fidget with their watches and whisper final words of encouragement to teammates. The field, vast and empty, waits in anticipation. With the sharp crack of the starting gun, the race begins. Leading the Big Red cross country girls are seniors and team captains Melani Dowling and Leta Griffith.

Though initially drawn to soccer before arriving at Exeter, Dowling ultimately decided to try out for cross-country as a prep. “I loved the team, the captain, everyone, the environment, and I decided to join cross-country.”

For Dowling, the sport was about love and community as much as athletic triumphs. “As I ran cross country over the years, I fell in love with the people and the captains and found inspiration from the captains that I wanted to be in that role myself.”

Upper Emerson Seymour echoed this sentiment. “I think in a sport like cross country, it is easy to see it as an individual sport,” she said, “but I believe our captains do a great job of creating a team that uplifts each other while also respecting one another when we race by competing to the best of our ability.”

Before each race, the team does a chant to raise enthusiasm and foster team spirit. Upper Lucia Rosen commented on this age-old tradition, “I love our big red cheer right before races. The captains usually lead them, and to me, it’s a great way of showing the team that we are competing together and that we’re all running together as a team.”

The season has only just begun, and the captains faced challenges with building up chemistry given the number of new teammates. “Team chemistry can get kind of weird sometimes with a lot of new people,” Dowling remarked. “I think creating new traditions and creating a new environment for the girls to come in and adapt to, is very important. I’m most proud of the progress we’ve made with the new team. It can be hard with a bunch of new people, but I think I’m happy with the environment we established at the beginning.”  

Cross country has had a long tradition of team dinners, which are filled with joy. “Outside of races and practices, the captains are usually sitting with the team in Elm for dinners and can be seen laughing and telling jokes. We definitely have the funniest captain duo this year and they always make the team enjoy challenging workouts just a little bit more,” Seymour said. 

“Our captains have been really wonderful this year — they both have different styles that complement each other really well,” said upper Cecily Reed. She further described these styles: “Leta is an inspiration every day — she shows up and she pushes herself so much. She’s always pushing people to achieve their own best because she knows it feels so good when she gets that for herself. And Melani does a great job with leading us in our own workouts, and makes sure to stop and talk to us, asking us how we’re feeling and really respecting us as individual members of the team.” 

Reed added, “Together, they do a very good job of pushing the team message that we’re all there to respect each other, care about each other, and support each other.”

Apart from fostering strong team morale, the captains push the runners to implement ambitious and hardworking attitudes. “Our captains are adamant about us running every race to our full potential,” said Seymour. “When we compete with our teammates in races it is out of complete respect for them as athletes. This allows us to stay competitive but not take wins or losses personally.”

Seymour continued, recognizing Dowling and Griffith’s commitment to establishing a supportive team, before anything else. “Our captains lead the team by really trying to foster an inclusive and motivating environment — they’re amazing at pushing each and every one of us to work hard during workouts and races. They inspire me most with their ability to challenge us to compete while also making sure our team environment stays positive. 

Dowling explained what being a cross country captain meant to her. “It means leaving my mark, inspiring younger girls to be the best version of themselves, whether that be running or also outside of running. I just want to be a role model for everyone.” 

She continued to explain what her leadership entailed. “I think just cheering them on, but also being there if they ever needed to talk about anything, and making them feel loved and supported no matter what.”